Author's Notes: This will be a shorter chapter than the last but its importance is unquestionable. Also, I plan on making it where (for the time being), some chapters will take place following different groups. Since this is the second chapter in GGO, I'll shift perspectives between characters in a manner similar to Reset Code Alfheim.
Real Life Standard Time: [17:55] June 12th, 2026
Location: [SBC Glocken - Government Office]
Thanks to Chomei's buggy, we've managed to make it to to where the tournament registration is by the skin of our teeth. We rush inside the building and Chomei and Korenaga told me that they're both going to register as well; wishing me the best of luck here. They gave me some pointers on how to handle combat in this game since I just joined and never had a chance to test my skill, but considering that I used a real gun to actually kill people a month ago; I imagine I can handle using a gun in a VR game just fine. They told me of projection lines which allow me to see just where shrapnel would hit me and gives me a brief window to evade them; they also told me to not panic under fire and stay as calm as a rock, show no weakness to the enemy. And while I didn't make a good case of myself earlier this day, I am more than capable of doing such things.
I rush to the registration stand to get registered for the tournament and it says that if I want prizes, I need to fill out a form with my personal information
"Urg...should I do this? Is getting a prize worth risking my life for? Maybe…If I make it to the actual tournament...I'll do it and give whatever prize I get and my equipment to Chomei before I return to Alfheim. I'll play it safe against this Death Gun guy if the death happens in the game like SAO, and I imagine Hikaru can protect me if someone on the outside is responsible. Out of all of us, Hikaru is the best hand to hand combatant." I muse in my head as I try to think of what to do, with me deciding to go through with the risk.
When I register the information, I find myself in Block C and my number is 21. When I pull away from the terminal and head to a nearby table to sit down, I quickly see Chomei and Korenaga approach and sit down and reveal their own place in the tournament: Korenaga is in D-14 and Chomei is in C block like me, number 7. That means that if we manage to make it to the end, Chomei and I will have to fight each other since we're on opposite ends; that'll be one interesting battle. I'm just glad that neither of us have to fight before the final if it comes to that.
"Minatoya, as a friendly tip from a veteran: Don't show your opponents what weapons you use before you begin battle. They'll have no hesitation taking you down with no regrets and if they know your armaments, they can quickly adapt to take you down." Chomei says to me rather calmly before he looks toward Korenaga "You said you encountered Death Gun Korenaga? What's his name?"
Korenaga nervously scratches his head when Chomei asked his question "Eto; I don't know his name, but I know what he looks like. I've been discreetly asking about looking for players speaking of death seriously and they pointed me to a cloaked figure. He openly ridiculed the winner of the last tournament: XeXeeD a while back. He gave some weird speech about judgement and shot a TV in the building. Apparently: seconds later, XeXeeD was reported killed."
"But you said he confronted you right?"
"Yeah, but he didn't tell me his name. All he showed me was this. And to be honest, I had no idea I still had this on my person; he showed me that when he ripped my sleeve off." Korenaga weakly says as he pulls the cloth over his right arm up, revealing a slightly dulled, but very recognizable, crest of Laughing Coffin. The fact that Korenaga still has his crest is a little suspicious but I heard rumors that PoH used a special material to make it permanent and considering that he said he had the same avatar from SAO, the tattoo must've followed.
"H-He's...part of Laughing Coffin?" How is that possible?! Laughing Coffin shouldn't be capable of causing organized trouble like this! PoH was the one who made such things possible and he most definitely died a month ago, I saw Karen kill him.
If I'm right, there were only five or so people who had any degree of command in the group and therefore have the ability to do something like this: Prince of Hell, Johnny Black, XaXa, Hisae, and Viper. PoH and Hisae were killed by Karen; and Viper, or rather: Makoto Kazuki, was killed by Hisae, so that leaves Johnny Black and XaXa. I talked with Amano a few days after the hospital attack and based on the reports of the SAO player list in addition to the capitulation records, most of Laughing Coffin's members have been detained for questioning, have willingly put themselves under surveillance or are dead. Only a couple dozen, at most, members of Laughing Coffin are still alive among the public.
"Mhm. He knew I was one of his former comrades so he wanted me to join him; but I told him to bugger off, and he swore I'd regret doing so. But to be fully honest...I'm worried for my life a little, even though I hardly care for it at this point."
"Korenaga, are you truly so willing to throw your life away?" I inquire and while I normally wouldn't care about this; I'm not a heartless monster so I obviously have some minor disgust for such hasty decisions.
"I am beyond terrified; but I need to repent somehow. If I have to die to do it, so be it, that is: If I protect innocent lives doing so."
"We should hurry; the prelims will start soon." Chomei says as he vaults out of his seat and rushes to where the players are gathering; Korenaga and I in tow.
When we enter the waiting room where the players are gathering, the three of us sit down at a table at the far end of the room and begin equipping our armor, or rather: just me and Korenaga since Chomei refuses to take his off because of his supposed hideous avatar appearance.
"Okay, I want to ask. Korenaga, Minatoya; do either of you know how all this works?" Chomei asks us, though we both shake our heads "Okay, I'll keep it brief. The tournament prelims start when that countdown goes to zero." Chomei explains as he points up to the countdown counter before looking toward us "The matches take place in one kilometer square fields which players are teleported to. Each field has two people. Everything is randomized, down to the terrain, weather, and time. Typically, each match only takes ten to twenty minutes to finish. The system ensures that both people start atleast five hundred meters apart and when a victor is determined in a match, the winner comes back here. Defeated players are forced out to the first floor hall. Thankfully, the winner doesn't get to steal your equipment through loot drops. All of the blocks require you to get through five rounds in order to qualify for the main tournament."
Real Life Standard Time: [18:00] June 12th, 2026
Location: [SBC Glocken - Lost Ancient Temple]
After a few more minutes of explanation, I find myself enveloped by a crystal sphere with Chomei and Korenaga flashing brief smiles to me as they enter their individual battlefields. I find myself in pure darkness, standing over a light orange colored hexagon and when I see a menu appear in front of me; telling me that my opponent is a player named Kakouton and that the field is called: Lost Ancient Temple. While I'm waiting for the final countdown, I pull out my assault rifle and shotgun as I begin thinking things over. According to the weapon descriptions, my rifle is rather run of the mill and the shotgun is a pump version.
I then find myself in a small field with dead grass and ruined columns as I begin looking about the area more coherently. After doing so, I begin dashing around the environs trying to find my opponent when I see a projection line connecting with my right arm. Seconds later, I hear what appears to be an assault rifle being fired in my direction supported by a heavy wind blowing in my direction. I immediately dive to a nearby column to evade the shrapnel fire, and I notice that the majority of the shrapnel is focused to my right side so I swiftly turn to my left and fire some of my own ammunition in the direction of my opponent. I then hear something thrown toward me, and when I look down, I see what appears to be a grenade "Ah shit!" I scowl in my mind as I quickly move to kick the grenade back toward my opponent. My opponent clearly wasn't expecting that as it hit him square in the face, knocking him over. I wait for the grenade to explode before I dash toward him. I quickly put my fingers on the trigger and am about to shoot "Check mate." However, the man swiftly sweeps my legs, making me fall on my back and he kicks away my rifle before I pulled the trigger; holding a pistol right to my face with the most narcissistic smile on his face "Care to rephrase that missy?"
"In your dreams." I retort as I swiftly pull out my shotgun and shoot him at point blank range which sends him back a short distance, falling on his back. I quickly regain my footing, dash to my opponent, and shoot him repeatedly with my shotgun in a style as if I'm stabbing him with one of my two handed swords in a fantasy setting. I don't hesitate to shoot this time since I can't let myself lose here; I need to get to the main tournament and fight Death Gun.
I see my opponent explode into pixels as a result of my victory. When I walk over to pick over my assault rifle, I sit down to recharge. I quickly see the congratulation screen appear in front of me "Oh boy. That was...strangely exhilarating. But I have to do this four more times? I have a feeling I won't get to eat with the others today. I actually never got to see what Asuna and Rika were making for dinner today; I hope it's good, I'm going to be exhausted after this."
Real Life Standard Time: [18:15] June 12th, 2026
Location: [SBC Glocken - Tournament Waiting Room]
I put away my weapons mere seconds before I'm enveloped by the same globe light and find myself in the waiting room with the few players merely spectating. Since I can't seem to find Chomei or Korenaga, I conclude that they're still fighting their opponents out there.
"Are you the real thing?" I hear a rather deep menacing voice say from behind me; making jump back a few feet in surprise.
I take a look at the person and find that he's wearing some sort of camouflage looking robe and a fancy skeleton mask with bright red eye pieces. This person simply stares in my direction when I jumped back.
"What the hell are you talking about? Who are you?!" I demand rather angrily, wanting to know who this guy is.
He simply approaches me until he is within arm's length of me "I witnessed your battle. You used a shotgun in a manner similar to a two handed sword. Are you the real thing Minatoya?"
"What's it to you?!" I retort angrily as this guy is spinning long tales and it's beginning to piss me off a little.
"Your voice. I remember that voice. You are the same." The person walks away, but I catch a glimpse of an unusual crest on his right arm before I turn wide-eyed: Laughing Coffin's crest. So Korenaga was right: This guy is definitely from SAO's Laughing Coffin.
"I-I need to think. There has to be something I'm missing here. A mantle cloak, a skeleton mask...wait, a skeleton mask?" I mumble in my mind before realizing something big "Think Sylvia. You fought in the Crusade. You fought Laughing Coffin multiple times. Was there someone who wore a skeleton mask?" I say to myself as I rack my brain to try recalling memories of Laughing Coffin even though the idea disgusts me beyond belief "Ugh; I don't like it, but Korenaga would probably know best. He was one of their goons after all."
I pace around nervously before I notice Korenaga re-enter, heavily panting, as if his match was extremely taxing on him
"Wow, you finished fast Minatoya. Er, are you alright?"
"I saw him. Death Gun. And I have good reason to believe he knows me."
"That really is cause for concern." Korenaga says with an impassive tone as he sits down at a nearby table.
"Why do you care? You should be feeling outright proud of Laughing Coffin wanting me dead." I retort as I sit down by Korenaga.
"Ah geez, what do I need to do to make you trust me? I'm not with Laughing Coffin and I hated being with them. This mark is a damned curse, one I wish I could be rid of. But look; let me ask you something Minatoya. What did you see of Death Gun?"
"He had a mantle cloak and a skeleton mask. Korenaga, you were one of them: did you know anyone in LC who wore skeleton masks?"
"A skeleton mask? Only one person comes to mind: XaXa. He was one of PoH's top lieutenants. Last I heard, Johnny Black and XaXa are the only ones still alive out of PoH's officers. Viper was killed by Hisae and Solaris killed both Hisae and PoH herself. Even someone out of the loop like me knows that last one. It was a huge scandal in the news, even though most of the details were made discreet. Sometimes it's easy for us SAO survivors to tell the truth from the bullshit; putting it simply: We lived through that kind of hell, it won't deceive us."
"Really now? You know what it's like living through hell?" I smirk amusedly in his direction "Then what about Alfheim?"
"Oh hell no, don't remind me. Alfheim was living hell at the start. I much preferred SAO to Alfheim. I atleast was whole, not manipulated by that god damned Sugou. I hear XANA had killed him. The damn bastard deserved it. Between you and me; even PoH found it morally reprehensible. Killing people is one thing, but forcibly modifying their personalities, their memories? Authorized torture to break people's minds?! That's a whole new level of corruption. Laughing Coffin...we were not that sick in the head. We kept the line at murder." Korenaga goes on about old events in Alfheim, me remembering how a good number of us were being modified by Sugou Nobuyuki's plans and Kana's mentions of how Keita, Sachi, and a number of fellow SAO players were tortured directly by Sugou and his administrators. I heard it took quite a while longer for the people trapped in that lab to recover mentally as a direct result of the authorized torture since their minds were so damaged...a part of me now wonders if the Black Cats were as fine as they let us think during Ragnarok.
Moments later, Chomei came back with a confident grin on his face as he sat down at our table
"Flawless victory. I picked off the bastard so effortlessly with my sniper." Chomei proudly says as he leans back against the table "Considering that you're both here, you've made it to round two?"
"Yeah. I overwhelmed my opponent with my minigun. It was still a damn close match though."
"We have ten minutes to collect our thoughts for round two. Clear up any doubt in your head. It'll only get tougher as it goes on you know."
"Yeah, I know boss."
We take some time to reflect before we go back into battle, trying to cool our heads before we're thrown back into the fray.
Real Life Standard Time: [19:00] June 12th, 2026
It took quite a while making it this far, but I've been able to make it to the finals. Doing so was excruciating as it took every little bit of strength I had fighting off those opponents in such sequence. I'm not even that used to long-term battle anymore; while my will is strong, it fell a great deal when the chaos in the virtual worlds subsided, but I've managed to rebuild my former skill to a point, though I've had to toss some of my older skills in favor for what I have now. Fighting monsters is one thing since they follow set patterns, but humans are unpredictable; that is part of what makes us so powerful. None of these battles have been easy since I've had to push myself to a hundred and twenty percent at all times to win. But I've done it: I made it to the finals and my opponent has been revealed: Nanak. That means we've both made it and regardless of who wins, we're both going to the main tournament. Since we have such good history, we made a plan to go out simultaneously since we both found it unfair that either should have full victory. I was the lead warrior of Senryaku and Chomei led the main offense guild; we both had significant importance in the last few years.
When we make it to the map, I find that it's that of an old western American city back in the 17th century. I walk through the city with my gun out, looking through the various buildings and I see Chomei walk toward me carrying his sniper rifle
"Alright kid, here's the plan: after twenty seconds pass, we both fire to the head. It'll be one hit kill at this range." Chomei explains as he grips his sniper and aims it at me directly.
"You are one crazy freaking bastard boss. But very well." I lightly chuckle as I aim my assault rifle toward Chomei and try to cool my thoughts to keep the aiming circle as accurate as I possibly could.
We count down from twenty and we both pull the trigger, with our HP gauges rapidly declining beyond red even though my mind is reeling beyond belief since I just got shot in the face by a sniper rifle at point blank range. We are surrounded by the sphere and find ourselves in the waiting room with notices on all of the TVs in the room broadcasting the results of the final match, which is that it's a tie between me and Chomei. Korenaga appears near us and collapses to his feet in exhaustion
"Ugh...that was effing painful. I have never been able to handle this many battles in a row. I won, but by the skin of my teeth."
"Relax. The prelims are over and the official tournament starts tomorrow at five PM. Zaskar knew it'd be troublesome if they did it all in one day. So they have all of the prelims the day before and a relaxation period for people to recuperate for the last big battle. Ymir did something similar with their Ragnarok tournament last month. So, go take a break Minatoya, Korenaga."
"Sure boss." Since I now have the freedom to do so since the prelims are over, I log out and find myself in my room which is colored gold because of my AmuSphere's translucent covering over my eyes.
Real Life Standard Time: [19:20] June 12th, 2026
Location: [Dorm - Sylvia's Room]
I take off my AmuSphere and notice a neatly folded letter on the end table next to my bed "Nee-chan, we all had come to the decision of taking parts of all our meals and putting it as one big meal for you. While I imagine it has gotten cold after all the time you were in Gun Gale Online, we felt like we needed to do this. So nee-chan, you deserve this hero's reward."
"Aw, that's so sweet of them. I'm a little surprised they went to such lengths. I was planning on heating up some leftovers, but to see that they gave up part of their meals for me. I should see how they're doing." Despite what I say, I eat the food as quickly as I could without upsetting my stomach.
I exit my room and I first pass by Haruka's room, and when I open the door, I see that her body is not there which does add credibility to what Sinon said about our friends being in a different world even though I find it difficult to believe because of how far-fetched it sounds. I guess that only makes this situation more awkward to explain to outside sources. After this, I head down to the lounge and I find Hikaru, Keiko, and Tsubasa lounging about watching TV with me noticing they're watching a children's show, Hikaru seemingly shutting out his perception of it just to pass time though Keiko seems to like it as much as Tsubasa, turning their heads in my direction "Onee-chan, you're back." Tsubasa says to me happily before turning back to the TV.
"Hey Sylvia, how was GGO?" Hikaru asks me, his expression indirectly thanking me for making a new distraction.
"Pretty good; but I'm not too used to all the cyberpunk themes. But, can I talk to you privately?"
"Sure." Hikaru shrugs as he gets up from the couch and walks with me to a different part of the room "What's up?"
"I well; I want to ask for your help with something."
Hikaru's expression becomes a lot more serious when I asked for help from him since he knows my reputation and record "What do you need help with?"
"I've practically confirmed that Laughing Coffin is involved and know I'm investigating and I have a slight suspicion they may try coming after me. The VR crime division did beef our security here after Vusago's group attacked us in the hospital, but I want extra assurances right now. I've never been able to beat you in the self-defense classes, and if what is going on happens on this end, I want you to guard me."
"Damn bastards. So many of them have been killed and they still persist in harassing us? How relentless are they? You would think they would value self-preservation at this point."
"I don't try to pretend I can understand criminals."
"Good enough point I guess. The security system remotely seals the reinforced windows right?"
"Mhm. They converted one of the basement rooms into the security office. Before I go into GGO tomorrow, I'll seal the windows, so keep an eye on the entrance."
"Sure thing."
I look about the room and notice that none of the others are here "Say, where are the others?"
"They're in the rec room; they were playing a round of pool when I left. Or rather, Asuna, Kana, and Rika were with Madoka as a spectator."
"Ah, I see. I guess I'll go join them for a while before I jump into bed." I say before walking off but stop as I realize something "Hikaru, we actually do need to come up with a reason for why Karen and the others are gone when we go to school tomorrow." I lightly groan as I remember that issue.
"How about this: Mamoru tends to keep business regarding the Uchimayas classified right? Maybe we could say that Mamoru had to suddenly leave for business and brought Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, Haruka, and Ophelia along to have them help him. It has a great number of gaps, but it's one of the few options that could work."
"Yeah that's...Hikaru, that plan is incredibly risky. But at the same time...we have no alternatives."
"We just need to keep to our story as best we can. You can tell your dear boyfriend that piece of news yourself." Hikaru was rather calm but began smirking amusedly at the end when he was talking about Kazuma.
"Shaddup." I scowl angrily even though he had good reason for me to do this course of action.
We then begin to set this plan into motion, hoping that the problems will be disregarded at best.