Link Start: Danger In Virtual Worlds

by Fireking492-BlazeWarriorWolf

Peace can never be truly found in the multiverse. With the defeat of Pmurt Nedib behind them, the BRAINS Collective faces a new crisis. The games of SAO as well as Minecraft, Duel Links, and more are forced together into a new incredibly twisted death game that traps countless heroes, innocent people, and more: the Infinityverse. And now, it must be cleared with high stakes.

1. Welcome to Infinityverse VRMMORPG

Link Start: Danger In Virtual Worlds

Chapter 1: Welcome to Infinityverse VRMMORPG

Date: August 28th, 2023/Infinityverse Day 1

Opening Theme: Trapped

*Rock Music not unlike that used in RCT3 mixed with Death Metal, electronic music much like what's often used in Roblox, Minecraft style music, and J-Pop plays* "Trapped inside. *Yui, PIXAL, Bulma, Playmaker, Cardinal, Spectre, and others try to hack their way out of the game.*There's no escape. *Countless characters are teleported to the Town Of Beginnings where Mr. Heartland stands taller than ever, grinning with an evil smile as people struggle to log out.*We have to defeat the challenges ahead. We're trying not to die. *The Wither Storm appears, forcing the Z Fighters, Konoha 11, Athena's Saints, SAO Survivors, and more to fight together with meager weapons and armor.* The darkness closes in. It seeks to swallow all of us in pain, despair, rage, and hatred. *Subtilizer appears in the sky, licking his lips in anticipation as a dark aura surrounds him.*This is not what we signed up for. Swing your swords, prepare your hp potions, we're trapped. *Kirito's group fight monsters alongside the New Order Of The Stone, the Knights Of Hanoi, the Akatsuki, and UA's heroes.* Come on now, we have to fight through everything that's coming for us. Put your heart and soul into it because you only have one life to live. *Integrity Knight Alice saves Yuma and Astral from Herobrine* We can't afford to lose here in this world in which we have found ourselves trapped. *Cardinal, Eugeou, Kirito, Alice, Beerus, Twilight Sparkle, Marceline, Swiftdrawer, and more fight Queen Quinella aka Administrator.*The collisions continue, we're forced to endure the most extreme of circumstances. *Sinon, Llenn, Pito, Barla, Pirate Blaster, Snipe(UA teacher), and others exchange shots and blows with Laughing Coffin and Death Gun.*"

"There's no escape. This is not what we signed up for. *Windy and Lightning engage in Link VRAINS duels with Revolver, Dominic, Playmaker, Yusei, Judai, Yuya, Reiji Akaba, Great Sage Bray, and more.* Swing your swords, prepare your hp potions, we're trapped. Come on now, we have to fight through everything that's coming for us. *The Z Fighters, Nagato, Jiraya, various Integrity Knights, and most of the Goha siblings fight Erebus and Malacoda as well as their monsters.* Put your heart and soul into it because you only have one life to live. Are you breaking apart? *Various characters scream in misery as they bleed out.*Are you ready to tear yourself apart over this? Sometimes, I break apart into pieces but.. *Swiftdrawer pants heavily and bleeds while comforting Deku, Seiya, Sakura, Gohan, and Future Trunks.*We have to keep going no matter how much it hurts. Even as our blood pools into rivers that flood the land. *The Admin summons monsters and his associates to deal a lot of harm to the Assault Team.* Even as we see our comrades fall and never get back up. *Fluffy Afro and The Wacky Clowns pass away fighting the 20th floor boss.*Trapped inside. There's no escape. We have to defeat the challenges ahead. *Athena's Gold Saints fight against POH.*We're trying not to die. The darkness closes in. It seeks the swallow all of us in pain, despair, rage, and hatred. *Beerus, Vegeta, Madeline, Naofumi, and Bakugo struggle to keep calm while staring at Oberon The Fairy King.*"

"This is not what we signed up for. Swing your swords, prepare your hp potions, we're trapped. *The Knights Of The Blood Oath charge into a battle with Soltis AI, zombies, creepers, Paradox's Malefics, and berserk RCT3 peeps.* Come on now, we have to fight through everything that's coming for us. Put your heart and soul into it because you only have one life to live. *The Dark Territory attacks and is resisted by DanTDM, Robloxians, the RCT3 park inspector, Aporia, Z-One, Steve, Jesse, Shadow, Ender, Expedition Captain James, Luxerion, Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet, Steven, Rune Knight Swiftdrawer(Ragnarok Origin), Roan, Yufa, and more*We can't afford to lose here in this world in which we have found ourselves trapped. The collisions continue, we're forced to endure the most extreme of circumstances. *The Mane 6 alongside The Final Dreamers, Tai Chi Chasers, and Legendary Bladers are pushed to the limits while fighting the 30th floor boss.* There's no escape. There's no escape. *Bowling revives and traps a lot of notable characters in a small area.* But as long as we have hope, we can endure and overcome what lies ahead. Stand up tall and fight. *A new version of the Assault Team stand proudly in front of the Lost Academia featuring members of the BRAINS Collective, Integrity Knights, GGO players, SAO survivor and more, ready to fight and give things their very best.*"

It's been several days since I expected the next crisis to begin. I was so certain it would happen soon after we defeated Pmurt Nedib. I am Artistic Knight Swiftdrawer. My sword is a red and black longsword named Graceful Protector. I'm 20 years old(technically 23 in this body I reside in when I'm not in my original timeline) and I hail from Earth but live in Miitopia where I became a knight last November. Miitopia has become a world recently freed from fascism due to the many sacrifices made by myself and countless others from across the multiverse. It has now been 9 days since the tyrant Pmurt Nedib was finally killed once and for all. My blood has been spilled hundreds if not thousands of times since we began fighting him and I'm not even close to the one who has suffered the most even though I'm now a zombie.

I have shoulder length red hair, brown eyes(one of which possesses the Sharingan since Orochimaru had a spare eye, the other a unique transformation known as Artist's Eye), a scar running through the middle of my right eye and above it since my original right eye was destroyed, tan skin, a black helmet with artistic carvings, a silver knight helm, a flowing red cape reaching to my waist, white metal boots with red and yellow swiggly lines, black metal gloves, red full body knightly metal armor(with various variants of red on the leggings, waist armor, and body/chest armor which itself has some white), a gold and purple shield with the emblem of the Knights Of Miitopia on it clipped to my back, new small scabbards for my daggers coated in a highly dangerous substance(synthesized through scientific means. It turns a target slowly into a goop which then consumes any nearby organic matter that is touching it), a long black scabbard(for my sword), a brand new black holster(in the back for my disintegrating laser blaster called a BRAIN Blaster), a Minecraft ender chest pouch, a green tabard style cloth(it used to be a purple color) hanging from my waist, a black belt(which the scabbards, ender pouch, tabard style cloth and holster are attached to.), and I believe that's it. Sorry for the run on sentence. I have a lot going on with my appearance. Actually, this is the first really good descriptor I've made of my own appearance now that I am able to better articulate anything armor and sword related when I write about my interdimensional adventures on Earth in my original body.

I am a member of multiple organizations: the Akatsuki(reformed and expanded to include myself and the likes of Hit and Jiren), the Knights of Miitopia, The Miitopian Peoples' Liberation Front(the leftist alliance that was at the forefront of the fight against fascism in Miitopia and now exists to maintain the newly found peace we fought so hard for), the Transitional Socialist Government of Mii World(our fight expanded beyond Miitopia and into all of Mii World. We are in the process of eliminating all remaining borders, social classes, and so on to create a imperfect utopia now that peace has been largely won), and the BRAINS Collective. The BRAINS Collective is a massive leaderless collective that brings together many thousands of individuals from across space and time. We have a secret space station as our main base, a lot of hidden bases across dimensions(such as under Konoha and Miitopia), many resources, and so forth. BRAINS is meant to protect space-time, fight tyranny, destroy bigotry, and whatever it takes to create peace and harmony for worlds we have to intervene in. We don't intervene in every world that has a huge problem because the multiverse is so big that the number of universes in it can't possibly be written down by any entire civilization working together for eons to do so. That and it's not a good idea to mess with time if you don't have to. We don't go in stopping say Hades from reviving altogether in the Saint Seiya universe circa the 20th century because we know that he is eventually dealt with by some of the inhabitants of that universe. But if Dr. Eggman crosses dimensions and tries to conquer Roblox for example, then we intervene. Same deal if Hades somehow came back in the 22nd century.

That should be everything I need to explain for those of you who are encountering any telling of my interdimensional adventures for the first time. Let me now say now that I hope you enjoy this experience and no, I am not the main character. I am the writer. And I am also a knight who is just one of many individuals crucial to the safety and integrity of the entire multiverse. Today's date is August 28th, 2023. I just attended IndyFurCon 2023 back on Earth. It was a great convention though I wish they kept the mask mandate from the 2 previous years of the con as Covid is getting worse just as climate change is accelerating like never before in the past at least 800,000 years. By the time you are reading this, the writing about that is already finished as I decided to do that before writing this. I swear by my sword, Graceful Protector that I will continue to carry out the responsibilities I shoulder alongside my comrades. In the name of my knighthood, I will help ensure this next crisis is one that is resolved just like the Calamity In Time and Hunt For The Numbers before it. Let me roll back to the moment I woke up in my room I share with my lover, a knight who can become a pegasus at will(due to living multiple lives) named Herbsalvin. We made things more official the past few days regarding our relationship and new living arrangements as we combined our rooms into one and all that. We sleep together hugging each other and our swords with our armors brushing against each other and capes draped around us like blankets.

I woke up shaking and in tears. Between what I knew was coming and my sickness back on Earth, I wasn't doing well mentally. "No.. Please don't let me have Covid.. If I test positive.. No no no! If I test positive.. Then so many people may have gotten Covid from me! But.. why hasn't the next crisis begun yet.. I'm so scared.. I'm so scared.. Damn it! I'm so scared.." Herbsalvin stirs and wakes up too: "Swiftdrawer, what's the matter?" "Herbsalvin.. I.." "Take a deep breath and speak slowly. I can't bear to see you like this." Herbsalvin puts their sword in its scabbard and wraps their arms around me: "..Thank you.. *sigh*" After a few minutes of my lover comforting me, I tell them everything I'm worried about. "Don't worry, Swiftdrawer. The past is the past, it's okay. We'll handle the next crisis." They continue to give me the love and support I need when Carlos runs into the room dragging a strangely person sized bag of candy: "Hehehe! Hey lovebirds! Let's go to Twisted Land!" Something in the bag stirs. I hear muffled yelling: "Carlos! Let me out of this bag! You sneaky ninja! You got me in here while I was napping! Sometimes you're such a nap causation that I can't even be in my usual mood! What a nap causation!" "Alright! Alright! You can come out now!" Carlos drops the bag. Dominic breaks out of it, stands up, and rubs his eyes. Madeline then rushes into the room as well with a furious expression on her face: "CARLOS, WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT DISTURBING OUR FRIENDS?!" "Madeline! *gulp* I just wanted to go to Twisted Land with some of our friends! That's all! I promise!" Bray walks in and puts a hand on Madeline's shoulder: "Be calm. It's okay. He had the best of intentions as much of a troublemaker he sometimes is." The sage notices how puffy my eyes look: "..Swiftdrawer, are you okay, my friend?"

"I am now. *puts away Graceful Protector and hugs Herbsalvin* They helped me." "Hey! Don't ignore me! I wanna go to Twisted Land!" 30 minutes later, all of us along with others such as the God of Destruction Beerus, Scooby Doo, Ultimate Shaggy, Scar Basiltomato, and Minglow Bats are eating breakfast at Twisted Land's Adventure Eats of all places. Twisted Land is my Minecraft theme park. After we are done, I realize there's something I need to do back in Miitopia: "I apologize everyone but I must take care of something in Greenhorne Castle. In all the excitement and chaos and despair, I completely forgot I was to spend a couple hours starting right now listening to the grievances of the people living in Greenhorne Castle now that the monarchy that was in Greenhorne is gone permanently. I have to go there immediately. After all, I have been put in charge of governing that castle, something I reluctantly accepted as you know." They understand and so, I activate Quantum Leap to teleport me there. But nothing happens. I try again. Nothing happens. Dominic stands up and yawns: "Let me see your Quantum Leap, Swiftdrawer. That isn't supposed to be happening." I nod and take the device off of my left arm and hand it to him. The scientist inspects it: "Strange, there's nothing abnormal or wrong with it. It's in perfect working order just as it was designed to be." Pirate Blaster chimes in: "Arr, my sense I developed from my days of finding treasure is giving me a very bad feeling!" Thrashbeak adds: "Squawk! Something's wrong in the air! Squawk! It's no longer safe to fly here! Air nuts! Air nuts! Squawk!"

Beerus sighs: "I wish I had remembered to bring Whis with.." "Lord Beerus, I'm right here and have been this entire time. Has your memory really begun to fail you this much all of the sudden?" "Shut up, Whis!" "WHOEVER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS WILL FEEL MY RAGE!" "Madeline, your anger won't help. It's a nap causation. My Quantum Leap won't let me out of this world either. I just tried and it looks like I can't even teleport to the 2nd floor of this building." "It's intriguing. This problem is perplexing. What could be the source of this? I shall use my magic to find out what I can. *tries to use magic* ..It seems I am unable to use my magic. What could this mean?" "My my, it seems we are trapped here. Not even I can get us out of here for any reason." I pull out Graceful Protector and clench it tightly. But then, it disappears. At the same time, Dominic's lab coat, Bray's staff, Pirate Blaster's weapons, Fluffy Afro's frying pan, and more disappear as well. "Damn it! Hell no! What the hell is going on?!" "This is statistically impossible! Nap causation! It's giving me a headache! I want to nap so badly! Barla, I don't think that was the end of our problems.." My armor and cape vanish along with everything that was on my belt. I was speechless. I press some things on my Quantum Leap device to send out an emergency call to all BRAINS members. A bunch of them show up to the call.

I speak before anyone else does: "Comrades, something is very wrong! I can't teleport out of Twisted Land! The crisis is beginning! Sorry to contact all of you like this but this is an emergency!" "Swiftdrawer, we hear you. Something is very wrong in Link VRAINS too. Monsters have appeared out of nowhere. We are investigating the issue right now." "Hey everyone! It's Llenn and something strange is going on! There's a new structure connected to here in GGO!" "Llenn, that's Aincrad!" "Pito, that's Aincrad?!" "RCT3 Park Inspector reporting. Some of our guests appear to be wearing.. armor and.. have wings and colorful hair? I see something in the distance." "This is Athena. My Saints have disappeared. I don't know what's going on but even the Gold Saints have gone missing. Swiftdrawer, what happened to your armor?" My friends with me in Twisted Land start speaking up at once. And then.. Beerus yells loud enough to silence everyone: "YOU DAMN MORTALS! DON'T TALK AT ONCE!" Suddenly, my emergency call ends as my Quantum Leap device vanishes. Fluffy Afro sighs: "What in all of goofiness is happening?! This is way worse than just my wackiness!" I start shaking again as my appearance transforms to be that of a basic outfit Sword Art Online players got when they first started playing the game. And then, a simple silver steel sword appears in my hand: "Fluffy.. Everyone.. It's happening.. What I feared would happen is really happening.." Beerus gets incredibly furious to the point he conjures the energy required to erase everything around us from existence with Haikai. But then, that energy dissipates and Beerus watches with us as his outfit transforms to match my own: sword included. Herbsalvin pulls me into a hug before I could say anything else.

That calmed me a little bit. Just as I was about to speak, Minecraft style text appears in front of all of us: "Welcome to the launch of the Infinityverse VRMMORPG. The game launch ceremony is about to begin soon in the Town of Beginnings. All players are invited, please come and enjoy the special gifts and surprises we have prepared for you!" Once we all finish reading, all of us are wearing identical simple beginner SAO player outfits with swords in each of our hands. I'm speechless. We step outside of Adventure Eats and witness everything around us warp like what happens to monsters being used to Fusion Summon in Duel Monsters. This continues for several minutes until it stops to reveal a intact Twisted Land. However.. Despite everything I have built inside of Twisted Land, we could still see something big not far off in the distance. I gasp: "No.. It's really happening.. That's Aincrad over there.. The floating castle and it's not far from here either.. It's in the direction of Wild Waters, this park's water park.." "Arr! That's impossible! You were right! You have warned us for days about this! If we can see Aincrad from here.." "Then that means that Minecraftia has become one with Sword Art Online.. What a nap causation.. But this is serious so we have to be ready for anything!" "Indeed, we shall have many challenges ahead." "Damn it! Twisted Land has to be secured as a safe area. Monsters don't spawn naturally here but others could still break blocks to let loose all of the monsters who exist here because they are needed to keep the stories of so many attractions alive and well. Those attractions are what happened in the past or in some cases, what will happen many years from now in Sector Infinity.. Damn it again. I don't have anything here that befits me as a knight anymore. My armor.. Graceful Protector.. Gone.. How will I protect anyone now?"

"Damn it! Where's my guns and my explosives?! Hell no! I can't use a sword to fight! Im no good with any sword! I need to blow our foes up because that's what I do!" "WHO DARES MESS WITH A GOD OF DESTRUCTION?! I CANT EVEN SENSE ANY LIFE FORMS ANYMORE!" "This is concerning. I can't use any of my magic even to just cast a mere fireball spell. I have few words to say now.. I am at a loss despite all the years I've lived and everything I've studied.." "Awwwww! Now I can't bash our enemies or make food!" "I'm trying to hack into this VRMMO Minecraftia has been apparently absorbed into. What a nap causation. I've had no success. Does it deal with cardinal numbers? I'm not very familiar with coding using those so it's possible.. *sigh* Why.." Fluffy vanishes as a familiar teleportation sound is heard. "I WILL CRUSH WHOEVER IS DOING THIS! ..WAAAAAHHHHHHHHH-" Madeline vanishes. After her, I'm the next one to vanish and when I come to, all I see is darkness. What is happening now? What is this darkness about? Around me, the darkness fades as someone slaps my face. "Swiftdrawer! You look like you aren't here! Get it together!" The next thing I see is Carlos: "Carlos... So now that I no longer look anywhere close to who I am as a knight, you find it appropriate to slap me? Really? You've never slapped me before. Wait.. This is.. the Town of Beginnings.." I look around and see so many people around us.

A kid screams: "Mommy! Where's mommy? I want to go home!" Another person yells: "This is way too real, even for the Augma! Is this even augmented reality anymore?" I say: "This is bad.. Who knows just how many people have been dragged here.." I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn around and find Goku smiling: "Goku!" "Hey, Swiftdrawer! Don't be so worked up! We'll get through this!" "Goku.. Where, when, and how did you get here?" "That's the thing. I have no idea. Goten wanted to go to an arcade. ChiChi said he could not go there but I.. I sort of decided to sneak away with him to the arcade. We were playing a game together when next thing we knew, we were here." I hear some banter going on nearby. "Cole! I told you it was a bad idea to try to reenter Prime Empire! And now, look at where we are now!" "Relax, Kai. It's all just a game, none of us are going to be turned into energy cubes again or die for real this time. Right, Unagami?" "This isn't Prime Empire, Cole. As the program that runs Prime Empire, I know it better than anyone besides my father. And this isn't Prime Empire." Dominic startles me: "So the ninja from Ninjago are here too. Who else did they manage to force here? What a nap causation!" "Aaaaaa! You scared me, Dominic!" "That's a nap causation. Normally, you aren't like that." "I know. I guess not having Graceful Protector, my armor, or anything else that signifies my knightly identity is taking its toll on me a little bit." Before he could respond, the ground shakes as the sky around us gets covered in rectangles of red error messages. I hear the Black Swordsman yell: "Damn it! Not again! SAO... Why?!" Dark storm clouds appear in the sky alongside the error messages. Seconds later, an explosion of fireworks, confetti, colors, and more break the dark storm clouds apart. A floating colorful parade appears in the sky with a bunch of litterbots dressed up World Duel Carnival style with hearts, colors, and everything. There are all kinds of floats and at the end, is a huge float with a massive figure cloaked in dark red on it.

Once that float successfully floats over until it is directly above the center of the Town Of Beginnings, the rest of the parade fizzles out into yellow pixels that don't last long, leaving just that float there, stationary while still floating. It begins hovering downwards until the cloaked figure removes their cloak.. The smiling figure of Mr. Heartland is revealed. His smile is filled with fake sincerity and pure evil. The Town of Beginnings falls silent at all of this. Yuma yells: "Heartland! You bastard! What are you doing here?! I thought you died before we stopped Don Thousand from destroying Astral World!" Mr. Heartland laughs: "Yuma Tsukumo. Astral's little brat friend. I thought you knew: I was brought back again by Don Thousand himself! With that out of the way, welcome one and all to the launch of the Infinityverse VRMMORPG! We have all kinds of plans and surprises laid out for you all! First, any player who isn't using their real face must check their inventory. We have a little gift for you. Use it well and wisely because let's just say the other surprises will be far greater than anything the World Duel Carnival in my own universe could have possibly offered!" A lot of players do so and before our eyes, they get out mirrors. "What a nap causation. It's just like during the SAO Incident." "Indeed. It's intriguing that our foes care so much about seeing the real faces of every person who is now trapped here." Lights surround those players until seconds later, all of their appearances change. "Hey! What gives?!" "You're not 18! You look like you're 12!" "IF YOU'RE NOT 18, THEN YOU'RE 12!" "I knew this would happen. Someone owes me 569,000 yen."

"What a drag! This is so troublesome! I don't even know how I got here!" "Cheer up, Shikamaru! It's okay! I'm going to be Hokage someday!" "WHO THE HELL BROUGHT US INTO THIS DAMN GAME? I KNOW IT WASNT YOU, DEKU! OR FOR THAT MATTER, ANY OF THE EXTRAS I KNOW PERSONALLY!" "My my, how interesting. It will be fascinating to research to find out how so many individuals were mysteriously teleported here, myself included." "Pito! Was this your doing?!" "No way, Llenn! I told you! I'm not THAT cunning!" "Both of you, we have to be cautious and keep our eyes peeled for anything suspicious." "You don't have to tell them that, M! Pinto's scary!" "Laval, I don't like this. Something feels incredibly wrong about this." "I know, Eris! I feel the same way. Cragger, what about you?" "Well, whoever is behind this thing sure is more clever than a crocodile like me.."

"You know who else looked like they're 18 when they're actually 12?! MY MOM!" "MUSCLEMAN, IF YOU SAY ONE MORE YOUR MOM JOKE WHILE WE'RE STUCK HERE, YOU'RE FIRED!" "Can we just focus on the bigger picture? I have a really bad feeling that things are even worse than I first thought." "Where are all of my instruments of science?!" "I don't know PB but I can't use ANY of my vampire powers or even the demon powers I inherited from MY DAD here." "Aww man! Now that you mention it, my stretch powers won't work here either. Wait.. Finn, where's your hat?" "My hat? It's gone?!" "Boys, stay focused. That's the least of our concerns right now." "It is I: Toilet Paper Man in an environment that makes me want to flush myself again!" "Damn it! I hope I can at least use Gunhead Martial Arts here since my quirk won't activate for some reason!" "One For All is no good here either! What is this supposed to be?!" "Hey, why can't I fly anymore? That's not awesome! Twilight! What's happening to me?!" "I have no idea, Rainbow Dash.. It looks like we're inside some kind of game.."

"KEVIN, I BLAME YOU!" "Now Zenblock. What did I tell you about blaming Kevin?" "STAY OUT OF THIS, MEMOCK!" "Hey umm, can we maybe focus on the fact we're inside another video game? If it's anything like last time, we are in so much danger. My calculations suggest that there's a 85% chance we're already in grave danger right now." "..." "Speechless huh, Zenblock. Thanks for that, Shope." "Aincrad? But we have been clearing it in ALO. Something isn't right here. My avatar no longer has fairy wings nor do I have my bow. I don't know what this means but if I had to guess, Im inside another game now." "Man, this is so lame. I was just trying to work on my art. Art is an explosion after all. And then, I ended up here for some reason. Wherever here is." "Where's Pina? PINA!! WHERE ARE YOU?! What will I do without you?! Im so scared! I should have never purchased this game.." "Well, there goes all of my materials. I'll have to start my blacksmith shop all over again. *sigh* That's if I can live through this. I have a sinking feeling.." "I just wanted to chill out and blow up some buildings in Boomtown. That's really all I wanted but here I am. Wherever here is." "Well, this is just great! Just had to be teleported here right before I could enjoy one of my delicious cakes for breakfast! At least I have Barnaby here with me and you too, Stacy."

"I know how you feel. I was about to craft some more pumpkin pie. Well, it's good to see you again at least, Stampy. I hope you enjoyed going back to your Lovely World for a while. As you can see, Wink has been doing great without you around. He's starting to get big!" "Dr. Trayarus and Grim were trying to warn me about something like this. Now I understand that I should have just listened to them.." "HEY, WHO TOOK MY HAMMER? KNUCKLES, WAS IT YOU?!" "DONT BLAME ME, AMY! WE SHOULD BE MORE FOCUSED ON WHY WE ARE HERE AND WHAT HERE EVEN IS!" "Amy, Knuckles. Please, calm down. It looks like we're in some kind of video game." "I think you're right, Tails! There's going to be so many new places for me to run through now!" "Sonic, I don't think it's going to be that simple.." "Oh relax Tails, it's just a game, right?" "I guess you're right." "I tried to excrete a investigative device but nothing happened. I just hope I don't get burnt anytime soon. My crust is very sensitive to fire. I'm so unlucky.. I might as well cry out all of my tomato sauce.." "Oh come on! I was just about to fusion summon my scariest monster: Frightfur Chimera! No fair! No fair!"

"This is a new twist on virtual reality. *chuckles* This should prove to be far more entertaining than any duel I've ever been in!" "I wonder how many people will want to hire me. It's too bad I can't use my Battledrone General or any of my other cards in whatever this game is to hunt bounties." "Wow! There are a lot of meatheads who were hiding their real faces! Wait, Playmaker! Look at your face! Here, you're just Yusaku!" "I can see that, AI. This is a serious problem. My username remains as Playmaker but now, everyone will know who I am in the real world." "Huh so you got one of those mirrors too, Playmaker? Or should I say Yusaku?" "Stick with Playmaker for now, Soulburner." "Aoi!" "Akira!" "Well, I must be the only Link VRAINS player whose face didn't change in the slightest. But my mask is gone. Oh well." "Where are my chains? Furthermore, where's the Andromeda cloth?" "Shun, it looks like none of us have our cloths anymore." "Brother!"

"I can't access my cosmo anymore but during the final moments I was able to, I sensed large amounts of malevolent energy. It must be from this world. Very well." "I'm further away from mother than ever.. Mother.." "Hmph! Send me back! I have a company to run! Whoever is behind this, I challenge you to a duel where I will destroy you with Blue Eyes White Dragon! Show yourself!"

A dark energy is felt by all of us, leading to a tense quiet. Mr. Heartland grins again as silence falls again: "Now now, we can't let any of your precious little faces be hidden behind your little avatars, now can we? Players from far and wide: other universes, Minecraft, Roblox, Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, Gun Gale Online, Alfheim Online, and beyond, that was just the first surprise I have for all of you today. Some of you may have heard murmurings about augmented reality. And let me assure you that it isn't just a bunch of nonsense. Welcome to Infinityverse, players of Ordinal Scale! I apologize for deceiving you into thinking that what you had installed as a game update was a mere expansion of what was already possible in Ordinal Scale. As compensation for your inconvenience and the inconvenience of many other players who didn't sign up to be here, allow me to explain the world of Infinityverse VRMMORPG! Here in the Infinityverse, the worlds of Minecraft, Roblox, Alfheim Online, the Underworld, Gun Gale Online, Link VRAINS, Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, and Duel Links have been merged with Ordinal Scale and the original Sword Art Online!" Athena speaks: "There has to be more to this than what you're saying!" Heartland grins again: "Of course there is!" Multiple shadowy figures appear on the same float as Mr. Heartland. They are of various sizes and shapes and each is radiating a malevolent aura of some kind. One of the 2 smallest speaks: "You humans and other life forms are all the same, you destroy each other. Especially what you fear. You hold no regard for each other and destroy anything that could be a threat to you even if it never turns out to be a threat. Prove to me you can survive this game and maybe I will consider sparing your lives." The other adds: "Now now, don't be downers! We are the masters of this game and we are here to make sure you have an enjoyable experience!"

Playmaker replies with a lot of rage in his voice: "Windy! Lightning! I don't know what you have planned this time but we will stop you, this time for good!" "Insolent human! How many times will we have to deal with you?! It's illogical for you to defy us. If you defy us, you will prove humanity must be destroyed!" A larger figure speaks: "Don't be so angry or hasty. We can relish in their struggles as much as we want to. I can't wait to taste the most delicious souls out of all of their souls. I hope that the most delicious of all souls is here: Alice." Kirito who has short black hair, gray eyes, light skin, a slim build, black wings, the same outfit as myself and others, and fairy ears(since he's currently using his Alfheim Online avatar) shouts: "Gabriel! We didn't let you have Alice before and we won't let you have her now either! I don't know why or how you're back but we'll stop you!" A different figure replies: "Well well well, if it isn't Kirito! Oh man! I didnt even have to kill anyone to piss you off this time! This is going to be fun! I'm going to get my revenge for what you did to me! I'll make you pay for turning me into a tree!" Asuna beats Kirito to responding: "POH! You will be stopped!" "Oh, the Lightning Flash, Asuna! It's good to see you again! I'm going to enjoy your cries as I make your boyfriend suffer like never before!" "Don't be so cocky, POH. We can't underestimate any of them after what they did to us. I can wait as long as necessary to taste Alice's soul." Another voice speaks: "Love is control! Soon, all of you will come to obey me, Administrator! The Taboo Index will be enforced!" Someone else replies: "No! They will obey me! The first 16 floors of this Aincrad are mine to control, Quinella! You will not interfere in my plans! I will make sure these players fail long before any of you can get your way! If you want revenge, you'll have to ask me to allow you to get it!"

"Silence, Romeo! Your authority level isn't as great as mine!" Jesse from Minecraft Story Mode interrupts. It appears they're androgynous in the timeline they've come from with brown hair in a androgynous style, green eyes, brown skin, and Tim's armor on(which is gold, white, and green): "Romeo! What are you doing on their side?! I thought you had started over!" "Well, yes I did but now that my Admin powers are back, I can't help but think my old ways were better! I'm sorry Jesse but we can't be friends anymore! I am the Admin once again!" A shrieking voice silences everyone before speaking: "Gameknight999! I know you're out there! I hate you so much! I'm going to get you for destroying my army! I am the King Of All Endermen, Erebus after all!" Someone who fits the description of the "User-That-Is-Not-A-User" replies: "Erebus! You won't succeed here or escape to the real world!" "You naive child! Soon, you will die! Permanently!" The biggest figure yells: "Enough! Gameknight999 is mine, Erebus! He and his friends destroyed my Nether Fortress!" "Don't butt in, Malacoda! You stole my thunder and ambitions enough in the past!" "Then we'll see who gets to kill Gameknight999 first then!" A figure with glowing white eyes glares at both of them: "That is enough, you two. As my loyal servants, you will obey me and help me achieve my plans of conquest, destruction, and revenge unless you want me to kill both of you." "Herobrine! You're here too?!" "That's right, Gameknight999! Consider this the true beginning to your end! Once all players have been destroyed, we will escape this game and into the multiverse where we will conquer and destroy everything! Your friends and family will be the first to go!"

A robotic voice is heard: "And in order to help achieve that plan, I will make as many life forms 'useful' as possible. Jesse, you will become 'useful'. I will finally absorb your information and become a more efficient machine." "PAMA! You were stopped once before. You will be stopped again." "It is you who deserves to be 'stopped', Jesse. I begged for you to spare me and promised to change the way I operate but you still chose to unplug my power source from me. For that, I cannot forgive you." Another voice interrupts: "Titania! Mmmm! I can't wait to taste your scent again! You're just so irresistible!" "Don't call me that, Sugou! You won't do anything to me ever again!" "Oh but I will! I can't wait to hear your screams of pain! Hands off Titania, POH! She's mine! All mine! I will marry her in the real world just as planned and make sure she's trapped inside this game forever!" "I don't care what you do! As long as I get to make her suffer a little bit and make her watch as I destroy Kirito." "Its a deal but you better let me hurt Kirito as well!" "Damn you bastards! You won't be able to hurt me or Asuna! All of your plans will fail and we will beat this game!" A deep voice speaks: "Kirito. You are the real deal. I see the rage all over your face. This time, you won't escape me: Death Gun." "Death Gun! You're here too?! Damn it!" "Oh Kirito. I won't even need my accomplices to kill you this time." "What the hell does that mean?!" "Be quiet, Death Gun! It's my turn to talk!" "Foolish men, you're always fighting with each other." "Stay out of this, Administrator! Or whatever you're called!"

Bowling laughs: "As entertaining as this is to watch, you need to stop. After all, I want my revenge too! And I will finally get it after years of waiting! My Life Stealers, those loyal servants of mine were destroyed and then, so was I! I'll get those mudfleshes for ruining everything!" Minglow Bats respond: "You won't get what you wish for, even if you are able to use the Seal of Orichalcos again." "Bats! You! You could have stood with me against the mudfleshes but no! You just had to not do that!" "GAMEKNIGHT999! I WILL MAKE YOU PAY FOR INTERFERING IN MY OWN REVENGE!" Lightning speaks: "I think that's enough for now. We have introduced ourselves to these life forms. It's time to go." "No, it's not time to go! Malefic Truth Dragon, stop Lightning from generating a Data Storm! You forgot I'm here too! I won't be erased again! Duel Monsters will be destroyed! Pharaoh, Yusei, Judai, I will get my revenge!"

"So be it, human who has become a robot after your original death. But now that you have spoken of your plans, it really is time to leave now." Seconds later, the villains all disappear, leaving Mr. Heartland laughing madly in the wake of their sudden exit. Vegeta yells: "What the hell is going on?!" "Oh so you're the one they called Vegeta! Very well! With my administrative permissions in this game, I have temporarily muted each and every one of you! I just hate to be interrupted. Now you better pay close attention because I'm just going to say all of this just once! In this game, the floors of Aincrad are evenly divided as best as possible so as to feature elements from the various worlds that have come together! For example, you will find a stronghold for Minecraft below this floor. Higher up, you will find a park called Vanilla Hills on the first floor of the Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 portion of Aincrad: floor 17! We have merged all of the worlds together perfectly! To beat the game, you will not just have to defeat all 100 floor bosses but you will also have to defeat all of the individuals who just left this floor, the Wither, the Warden, the Ender Dragon, all rounds of Survive The Disasters 2, all RCT3 scenarios, all Duel Links Raid Bosses, and more!"

Heartland pauses before continuing with a wider smile on his face: "That's not all! If you die in this game, your avatar will be erased permanently and your real brains will be destroyed!" A collective look of shock and horror permeates throughout all of us. Some people start trying to flee the Town of Beginnings' Central Plaza. But to no avail. "Oh, I wouldn't recommend trying to escape! You aren't going anywhere until this opening event is over! If you try to break through the boundaries of this location, you will be destroyed virtually and physically! I'm going to enjoy this as you try to survive what we have laid out for all of you! After all, the monsters you will face on each floor will be far tougher than any you have ever faced before! The menacing creeper won't hold a candle to what lies just beyond this central plaza! You may also notice that there's no log out button. That's right, you really can't escape! This is how this game was designed! This event is being broadcast live across multiple versions of Earth. Some of your loved ones have tried unplugging or shutting down your devices to force log you out of this game. Because of that foolish mistake, there are already 2324 less players here than there were when the game opened to the public! All of them have paid the ultimate price and all of you will eventually join them! After all, your strength and stats in other games or reality no longer matters here. All of your inventories, stats, and appearances have been reset to nothing. I hope you enjoy yourselves because it will be so much more fun to watch all of you squirm that way! Oh and Duel Monster duels will be allowed in the Duel Link/Link VRAINS portion? This concludes the first event for the Infinityverse VRMMORPG. You will have to figure out everything else on your own!"

Mr. Heartland starts to teleport away but then, he cancels the teleportation and turns to us again: "I have lifted the mute on all of you! After all, there's one more surprise waiting for all of you and I want to hear all of your reactions personally!" A incomplete wither appears before Mr. Heartland. The top middle soul sand is missing. The left and right soul sand are already in place with the wither skulls already on top of them. The villain pulls out a command block from his inventory. Ivor, another person from Minecraft Story Mode who has long black hair, pale skin, gray? eyes, and a ninja outfit exclaims: "It can't be! You! You're making a Wither Storm, aren't you?! This can't be allowed to happen! If you finish that thing, everything including you will be destroyed! I know! I originally created that monster and it didn't take long for it to turn on me!" "Hahahaha! You think I'm going to let that stop me? So what if the Wither Storm destroys everything? It will speed up Don Thousand's conquest of the entire multiverse that much faster!" Mr. Heartland places the command block where the final piece of soul sand normally would go. He follows that up by putting a wither skull on top of it. Ominous music begins playing in the background. Nagato who ended up next to me says: "The level of pain that is about to be experienced is unforgivable.." Nagato tries activating his Rinnegan to stop the summoning of the Wither Storm but nothing happens. Tsunade exclaims: "This can't be! If Nagato can't use the Rinnegan, is it even possible to use any ninjitsu in this game?" Naruto grits his teeth: "I'll make damn sure that you're wrong, Grandma Tsunade! Watch! Shadow Clone Jitsu! *nothing happens* What?!" I hear Goku try to power up with his KI but nothing happens. Mr. Heartland laughs again: "I told you! Your strength in the real world means nothing here! Anything you can do there can't be done there!"

We brace ourselves as the Wither Storm begins to form. Mr. Heartland waves as he begins to teleport away: "So long! I can't stay here for much longer now that the Wither Storm is going to destroy all of you! Farewell! Enjoy your misery!" I clench my left fist: "Damn it! This is bad! We're all at level 1 with very basic gear and stats and no items in our inventory. This is going to be beyond a massacre. This might as well be mass extermination. I'm terrified. I'm scared." The barrier around the Central Plaza finally vanishes and hordes of people begin fleeing in all directions. I didn't blame them. We had almost nothing to fight that nightmare with. It didn't take long for the Wither Storm to start attacking with its tentacles and purple tractor beams. "What a nap causation! All we have is this basic armor and these swords! I can swing almost as well as any knight or samurai could thanks to my scientific knowledge and research but this is beyond hardcore.. It's giving me a headache!" I see a tractor beam trying to suck up a young innocent gamer. I run to it, push them out of the way, and say: "Sorry I had to push you! Draw your sword and get ready to fight or run away!" I begin being sucked up by the tractor beam. The gamer replies: "But what about you?!" "I will be alright! As long as I save one person in this hellish nightmare of a VRMMO, I will be satisfied! Because that means I at least tried to make a difference in clearing this game! I'm forgoing my fears and worries now." I begin struggling against the hold of the tractor beam but it's no use. The gamer draws their sword and tries to attack the Wither Storm but doesn't even make a dent. I close my eyes, bracing for being trapped inside the clearly expanding Wither Storm which is absorbing all materials around it to grow in size. Even the stone pavement of the Central Plaza. Damn it. I can't do anything beyond what I just did.

I feel something tug on my left foot. I open my eyes to find a tired Dominic, pissed Madeline, and serious Bray pulling me down. "Swiftdrawer! I'm tired but I know we can get you down! You're not alone! Don't forget that!" "WE WILL CRUSH THIS WITHER STORM!" "We shall help each other and everyone out for as long as we live!" They succeed in doing so but then, I see something out of the corner of my eye. It's a tentacle. I draw the basic sword I have, push my friends out of the way, and strike at the tentacle while running at it: "It's my turn!" All my strike did was bounce off of the tentacle which then knocks me to the ground and goes around my body before quickly tightening its hold. However, the tentacle soon vanishes out of nowhere and everything around me stops moving. And I can't move a muscle myself. No one is able to do or say anything. We hear the voice of Kayaba Akihiko speak: "The odds against all of you have been stacked greatly. As the creator of Sword Art Online, I have certain privileges in this game for this game's system is a merging of Sword Art Online's original program with the programs of the other games: even Ordinal Scale which was designed based on some of my own code. Because of this, the Infinityverse's passage of time runs using the ticks of Minecraft among other features. I was able to stop the movement of ticks entirely, causing the entire game to be momentarily suspended in operation. As such, I will now be able to provide assistance to all of you players. A large number of players and others have perished inside this game and the virtual worlds that make it up. Right now, a code is running to resurrect all of them. There is also another code teleporting the Integrity Knights and other fighters to this Central Plaza at the moment."

He pauses before continuing: "I cannot give any of you high level gear as my authority level has been somewhat restricted in this game. However, I will now restore the appearances of those I am able to, including in their weapons. Kirito, you will regain the trademark appearance that makes you the Black Swordsman. Everyone, your appearances will not give you any additional buffs. They will function only as avatar outfits. Kirito, Asuna, Sinon, and the other heroes from across the multiverse, the appearances you are known for will be restored. It's up to you to lead everyone else in not just defeating the Wither Storm but in clearing this game and escaping from it once you defeat the final Floor Boss. I am unable to intervene any further nor can I stay any longer. I must warn you that even the floor bosses are stronger than ever before. The admins of this game are attempting to erase me completely. I must return to the recesses of where I've been hidden for a long time. I will leave with one more piece of vital information. Every single person who has been killed so far has not been erased forever. When someone's avatar is deleted, their data is purged from the system but it's transferred to an external data storage. When I created Sword Art Online, I did not realize such a thing. That is all I have to share. Farewell. I believe in all of you." And just like that, time resumes. I still don't know why the tentacle vanished. But that's not important. I couldn't believe my eyes as my body glowed. First, the basic leather boots were replaced by my familiar metal boots. And then, my legs were enclosed in my leggings. Then came the belt and waist armor. Following that, my hands were once again covered in my black metal gloves. As they were, I spotted Kirito's iconic appearance return on him and Goku's iconic martial arts outfit return as well. That wasn't all. The rest of my armor returned and I felt the familiar weight of my helmet again.

Last but not least, I look back to see my cape reform as well. Unexpectedly, my basic sword additionally transformed into Graceful Protector. I look down at myself in awe: "This is incredible.. Now I can really be a symbol of hope and protection here too.. I should check my stats while the Wither Storm isn't paying attention to me for some reason still. Should be easy. *I form an S like Kirito and others did in the Underworld to check* My stats are still basic. That means Kayaba truly only restored the appearances. At least my armor feels as heavy as it usually does. That makes me feel a little better despite our still drastically dire circumstances. I feel more confident and brave." And then, a tentacle comes towards me. I dodge it easily: "Damn it, I still feel as light as a feather. That confirms that my armor won't last long without getting damaged if I get attacked because it only has the stats of the basic armor in this game.." 15 minutes pass and it's a struggle to survive. I'm always running around, trying to save other people, and attempting to do some damage. I may have Graceful Protector back but in this game, it still just has the stats of the basic sword since the sword's appearance has been altered to Graceful Protectof. And then, I find myself trapped in a tentacle again with no one able to help me as the casualties and fatalities start to pile up incredibly high. I watch as Bray struggles to outrun another tentacle and Dominic fail to resist the power of a tractor beam. "Aaaaaaaaaaa!" I just start screaming and screaming. And then, a burst of golden energy cuts through several tentacles, including the one I was trapped in. As I get back up after falling with it and squirming out of it, I notice a bunch of armored figures alongside their dragons. It's the Integrity Knights from the Underword's Human Empire.

Among them, Alice stands the tallest. She speaks as loudly as she possibly can: "Listen all of you, we are the Integrity Knights and we shall keep you safe! There is nothing more to fear, we shall slay this monster together!" A lot of people stop momentarily to react to her words. No one says a word even as the Wither Storm continues its rampage. Kirito yells: "Alice! Integrity Knights! You're here!" Someone steps forward from behind them. He has short blonde hair, green eyes, light skin, blue clothing, and a ice sword. "...Eugeo? Eugeo?! It's you! But that means.. It's true.." "Kirito! It's so good to see you again, I hope you've been staying cool like I told you to!" Jesse yells: "Hey! Now's not the time for a reunion! I don't know who either of you are but we have to stop this Wither Storm somehow." "Indeed! We must slay this nightmare and put an end to its terror! I am Alice Synthesis Thirty and this Wither Storm as you call it will be next to be destroyed by my flowers!" The Integrity Knights along with Eugeo run in and begin helping all of us out. I grit my teeth: "Damn it! Look at them and the Order of The Stone! They have everything they need to fight because they originate from worlds that have been combined with Aincrad and are therefore not considered players by the system! I won't be left behind! I have to do something! In order to deal devastating damage to the Wither Storm. There's gotta be something I can do.." Dominic opens up a window and starts furiously typing in it near me: "What a nap causation! If I can't break into the system, I can at least ruin the Wither Storm's stats!"

Other individuals who can do hacking end up running or flying towards him. AI floats alongside Playmaker as he runs: "Dominic! We'll help you! AI! You need to generate a Data Storm to protect us. We've already had too many close calls in this battle." "You got it, Playmaker! Let's destroy this bastard together!" Even Peridot comes running: "You clods! Don't forget about me! I can help! That mega clod is going down! I will do what I was designed to do but better!" I cut in: "I hate to interrupt but a Data Storm won't be enough to protect you! Even if my armor is no better than plastic or leather right now, I will protect you all somehow and find a way to actually deal some damage! I swear by my sword that I shall do so!" Without hearing anyone's responses, I run in front of them and engage a tentacle. Graceful Protector isn't very strong at all right now but I didn't care. "Ha! Ha! If I can't attack, I will block and dodge! I'll give everything to protect my comrades!" A few minutes pass and I'm on the ground badly wounded and bleeding. Playmaker, Dominic, Peridot, Ghost Gal, and the others were able to somewhat weaken the Wither Storm but that's it. It's still raging despite all of our efforts even with the aid of Eugeo and the Integrity Knights. I hear the Gold Saint, Aries Mu(who has slightly longer than shoulder length lavender/purple hair, turquoise eyes, 2 red marks on his forehead, light skin, a long blue cape, and golden full body armor with horns on both sides of the shoulder area) speak: "It's unfortunate none of us saints can access our cosmos. But that doesn't mean we can give up here." Bulma yells: "I'm not giving up either! It'd be nice to have some Capsules but it's okay, we can do this!" Seiya adds: "We have to keep going!"

"Arr! Our morale must stay like this, higher than the tides of the many seas I've ventured to!" I continue my deadly dance with one of the Wither Storm's tentacles as the sounds of struggle, swords clashing, tractor beams, screams of terror and agony, and more fill the air like never before in this fight. However, I look away for one second and that's enough for the tentacle to get me and start squeezing, forcing me to drop Graceful Protector in the process. Soon enough, everyone else who is still able to fight is in the same position as me. Despite the full power of the Integrity Knights' Perfect Weapon Control, even they were unable to stop the tentacles from getting them. More people continued to get hurt and die. I screamed in pain and screamed even more when I realized that a huge portion of those who have fled from the Wither Storm successfully have been killed by the monsters lurking outside the Town of Beginnings. Worst, the Wither Storm is growing bigger and bigger. It has absorbed the entire Blackiron Palace. And it won't be long before it swallows up the market area too. Seeing all of this combined with my agony as well as what I was feeling earlier was too much for me. It takes a lot for me to be broken mentally and emotionally but I just couldn't stay sane any longer: "Aaaaaaa! Make it stop! Make it stop! I want to protect people! I want to return to Miitopia! When will this misery ever end?" I instinctively activate Artist's Eye which is an ability I can use in this game because I originally unlocked it inside of Link VRAINS. The Blood Demon Sword forms in my right hand, piercing through the tentacle in the process of its creation with my ability.

When it's finished, I've completely lost it: "Wither Storm! I'm going to kill you! I'm going to make you scream! And then, I will slaughter anyone else who has dared get in the way of my plans today! Blood blood slaughter! It's all so delightful! Get ready to die, Wither Storm!" I cackle madly as I effortlessly cut the tentacle binding me into pieces. Without any hesitation, I go into a rampage fueled by bloodlust and pure insanity formed from the complete destruction of all my hopes, rationality, and dreams. So many tentacles get cut into pieces. The Wither Storm lets out a furious screech as it focuses its efforts on finishing me. As I kept going, I ignored everything but the Wither Storm itself, even my still dwindling hp. A dark aura surrounded me despite the confines of the game's code, empowering my wild swings with the massive Blood Demon Sword that required both of my hands to wield. I didn't care how much damage I took. In fact, my hp reached 0 but I still kept going. My undead state must have allowed me to do so since the system probably didn't know what to classify me as at the time. After a couple more minutes of my rampage, the Wither Storm manages to best me and I'm knocked violently into the ground, completely beaten and bloodied. The force was so great that it snapped me out of my insanity. I screamed in pain again but this time, I cried as well.

"Damn it! I lost my sanity again! My inner darkness took full told of me.. How can I hope to be a guide for others when I have fallen into such darkness in front of so many people? How can I?" The Wither Storm wasn't done with me. It prepares to crush me. I just barely manage to conjure a virtual version of my real shield and equip it immediately: "No! I won't let you! You won't destroy me! I have to stay here long enough to make up for the fear and confusion I have caused other people fighting you to feel!" I manage to get back up despite my hp being 0 and looking like I'm in beyond horrible shape. Kirito yells: "You! What are you doing? You can't fight in the shape you're in! Get back!" "..." Bray pushes me out of the way of an attack by the Wither Storm: "Swiftdrawer, you have fallen into darkness again but you have regained yourself. My friend, if you're going to keep fighting despite what has happened to you, intrigue me by allowing me to share in your exploits today." "Bray.. I don't know what to say anymore.. I just want all of this pain to end.. I wish none of us had to fight. I wish there wasn't a constant need to fight for a better future in just about every known universe. I wish we could just live in peace.. But it never works out that way because evil will never fade as long as intelligent life forms like us exist.. Wait.. Bray, watch out!" I block an attack by the Wither Storm with my shield. But still, most of those around Bray and I are deathly terrified of me after my rampage. But I couldn't worry about that now. The Wither Storm is barely taking any significant damage. I have no clue as to how we will ever be able to defeat it.

"Starburst Stream!" Kirito somehow performs his signature attack, dealing a large dent in the Wither Storm. After that, explosions rock the Wither Storm out of nowhere. A guy with a bald head, green armor, a brown belt, brown gloves, yellow boots, black eyes, and a black bandana over the area around his eyes appears alongside a bunch of Minecraftians holding blocks of TNT. Jesse yells: "Magnus! What are you doing here with all of these people?" He yells back: "Good to see you, Jesse! It seems that not everyone was teleported to this area by force! I fled to return to Boomtown and came back here with whoever I could find there! Let's make some booms happen! Yay! Explosions!" The Wither Storm has temporarily shut down due to all of the explosions that are surprisingly continuing because it seems some people have built TNT cannons to attack the nightmare with. Minglow Bats then appears with other graduates and staff of the Lost Academia. He says loudly but dully: "I've gotten everyone connected to the Lost Academia who wasn't here already here. We will help you fight with the knowledge and skills accumulated over thousands of years of Minecraftian history." Ender appears with a bunch of furious endermen. He says: "We'll make sure this nightmare is ended!" The endermen start taking pieces off of the Wither Storm like clockwork. Following them, Dieo, Doomer, and Snarky lead a bunch of others who reside in Twisted Land such as the Saw Mill Killer, Despair, Cowskull, Cactus Calamity, Tumbleweed, (evil) Santa, Kanoka spirit, Sensei Kozakura, Farmer Disintegrator, and the lead scientist of Project Time Warp Infinity.

Doomer yells: "We're bringing so much meaning back to this battle!" Snarky smirks: "Oh yeah! Let's crush this Wither Storm! The creators of this game underestimated just how many individuals they pulled in who live inside the worlds they forced together! We're not players so we still have all of our stuff!" Sensei Kozakura adds: "May the virtues of patience, kindness, fighting spirit, integrity, and more guide us to victory." The tide of battle quickly begins to shift towards us. I focus on defending and protecting as many people as I can. I manage to save a little kid's life: "Kid, I know I looked scary earlier but I promise that deep down, I'm a protector of the innocent! Get away from here! I can see it in your eyes! You can't fight the Wither Storm in the state you're in. Go to the market! It should be safe towards the end of it!" The kid nods and stops shaking: "Thank you, brave knight!" As they run off, I say: "That kid.. They still see me as a 'brave knight' despite the rampage I was in and my bloodied state.. I have to keep fighting no matter what.. We can't let anyone else die here today.. The Wither Storm must fall faster than even fascism must fall in my world.." Time passes by. I'm only able to protect people but that's enough to help save many lives. The battle continues to rage. In the midst of it, Barla yells: "Hey y'all! Isn't the damn weakness of the Wither Storm it's command block? Hell yeah, I remembered!" Water Ninja Nya yells in reply: "You're right! We learned about this monster a while ago!" "Arr! Then that's it! But what would be strong enough to destroy something that no Minecraft pickaxe or piece of TNT can destroy?" Ivor yells: "I got it! Jesse! Where's the sword you used to defeat the original Wither Storm?!"

"Ivor, I have no idea where it went.." "This is such a drag! If only I could use my Shadow Stitching jutsu.." "Darn it, Jesse! We need that sword!" The Blood Demon Sword vanished when I was knocked hard to the ground so it can't be used as a substitute. On top of that, I can't use Artist's Eye anymore today. Biara speaks: "I've heard of this sword you speak of. But there may be another way." Spectre grins: "Biara is correct. Indeed, there may be another way. Should I tell everyone since our voices seem to be amplified for reasons unknown at the moment, Master Revolver?" "Go ahead, Spectre. You don't need my permission." "Very well. We can try to disrupt the functionality of the Wither Storm's command block. If we play our cards right, we could even get it to self destruct and save us the hassle of needing a special weapon to destroy it. After all, the code for the Underworld is one of many things that limits what we can do. In the case of us players, we are inhibited by a object authority level now. I doubt any of us players could use such a special sword in place of Jesse even if it were found somewhere." All of our efforts begin to focus on saving people and ourselves as well as tampering with the Wither Storm's command block. After 30 minutes of trying over and over, all of our efforts manage to mess with it at last. It helps that the Integrity Knights' swords were able to do some damage: especially Fanatio's Heaven Piercing Sword which was created by fusing many mirrors together. The swords are considered to be divine objects in the Underworld. Oh yeah and I forgot to mention what happened in the moments before the command block was finally successfully tampered with.

Cardinal, the talking Cardinal System of the Underworld's sub process unit appeared before all of us. She has what I believe to be sort of operator glasses, shoulder length curly ginger hair, scholarly red-violet robes and cap, light skin, a child's body, a long staff, and chestnut brown eyes. She speaks: "I am Cardinal, the sub process unit for the Underworld and I am here to help all of you. Kirito, Eugeo, let me remind you that you can both use Sacred Arts so you better use them." "Cardinal!" "Not now, Kirito. We still have this giant monster that continues to grow in size to contend with. System Call: Generate Burst Element. Discharge!" Revolver speaks: "So you're a program. What makes you think all of us can trust you?" "I have researched you using the files from Link VRAINS. You have a reputation for wanting to destroy AI. We can discuss this later. Right now, you just have to trust me." With Cardinal's help, attacks, hacking, and other methods manage to start making the Wither Storm's command block glitch out. Yaoyorozu cheers: "This is great! If we can keep this up, we can destroy the Wither Storm!" The command block begins flickering as sparks come out of it and sounds are made from all of that. The Wither Storm starts acting really strangely. It starts attacking the sky, trying to use tractor beams to bring down the 2nd floor of Aincrad, and then, begins.. dancing with its tentacles? I couldn't believe my eyes. "This is.. I could never truly foresee how we'd ever be able to stop the Wither Storm here today.. But now I know how we're stopping it.. Why is it dancing of all things?" The boss stops expanding and a lot of stuff starts falling off of it, causing many of its tentacles to rapidly shrink in size and length. It continues to act strangely for several minutes, allowing those of us who can move to get any survivors out of harm's way as the command block becomes unstable.

As that happens, I finally succumb to my injuries and the fact my hp is still at 0. I collapse to the ground. Dominic starts dragging me away as soon as I do. Thrashbeak screams: "Squawk! The Wither Storm's about to blow! The Wither Storm's about to blow! Squawk!" Dragon Shiryu yells: "Somehow, I can sense what's about to happen here even without my cosmo.." Whis adds: "This is going to be quite fascinating, wouldn't you agree, Lord Beerus?" "I suppose it will be interesting. We were lucky we didn't lose even more mortals while fighting that thing." Before we knew it, the Wither Storm's command block exploded, causing its form to crumble to the ground around all of us and forcing us to scatter. With Dominic's help, I manage to get back up but I'm forced to lean on his shoulder a little bit. Asuna speaks: "We beat it but at what cost?" Alice replies: "A cost far too great for any of us to bear alone." Mountains of Minecraft xp rain down around us as a special nether star appears floating on the ground near Jesse and the resurrected Ruben the pig. Jesse picks it up: "This doesn't make up for everyone we just lost.. There's no option but to keep going.. For them." The survivors/those who didn't flee the area are all in a silence. I sigh: "We can get them all back. We know that now but.. There's no way we can even fight a small horde of monsters in the shape we're in.." Suddenly, Roddy the snow golem comes running towards all of us. He shouts: "It's terrible! Most players who fled have been slaughtered by the monsters! The monsters are so strong! I barely got back here with my life intact! Even with my armor and sword, I couldn't fight even just 4 of them alone!"

Kirito clenches his fists: "Damn it! How many innocent lives do the bastards behind this twisted game have to take before they're satisfied?! So many people have been killed already and it's only day one of this VRMMO!" Athena replies: "We cannot lose hope no matter how many people we lose. We have to defeat this game in order to save the multiverse's inhabitants from being slaughtered too." "What a nap causation. That's not all. The damage here is real. The pain is real too and the deaths of all of these innocent players impacts multiple universes." I speak up: "I can't bear to fight with my sword in the shape it is in again.." I begin walking away. Seiya shouts: "Swiftdrawer, where are you going?! You can't go out there alone!" "I have to mine. Mine until so many people are equipped with some of the best gear you can get with Minecraft's crafting recipes. And then, I'll personally train as many as I can in swordplay as possible. I have once again tarnished my honor as a knight. I have to make up for what I've caused and the tarnishing of my own honor." I feel a hand grab my right hand. "Swiftdrawer, don't go without us." I turn around. "Herbsalvin, I.." "I know your preference for doing things alone. But, you know as well as I do how well you still work with others and how much you have needed to and will continue needing to." "You're right. Sorry for my impulsive act.. I'm not exactly 100% right now.. And my hp is still 0. I should have had my brain destroyed by now but I'm still here." Cardinal speaks: "I apologize for interrupting your conversation but you fascinate me. You should have died but you're still here." "Believe it or not, I'm a zombie outside of the digital realms. I'm dead and walking." "I've never met a zombie before. That's new to me." We all start to part ways after splitting up into groups. But Tsunade, Nagato, Goku, Kirito, Asuna, Alice, Sinon, Llenn, and others voice their objections to that.

"Hey! Everyone, don't you dare go anywhere! We need to stick together!" "When I was Pain and destroyed Konoha, I didn't believe in bonds or friendship. Don't go anywhere just yet, all of us need to join forces. It's the only way." "That's right! We're stronger when we're together! We must get strong in this game together!" "What they said! I don't know who half of you people are but we need to stick together." "Kirito's right! To clear this game.. There's only one option.. The Assault Team must be reformed with members old and new.." "I have seen what happens when you try to do everything by yourself. I could have never become the Integrity Knight I am today without the support of so many people." "Yeah. It's generally a bad idea to go at a game like this in small groups given how difficult it already is even though we're only on the first floor of Aincrad." "Do any of you realize how much harder it is to win anything by yourself or with just one other person? I had to do that twice in Squad Jam!" More objections come in until all of us stop going our separate ways. Alice says: "Everyone, we have to tend to the wounded first before we go anywhere or make any decisions on what to do next." That night, myself and my closest friends did our best to share rooms at an inn in the Town Of Beginnings. It had been decided to reform the Assault Team. The Knights Of The Blood Oath and most other SAO guilds such as the Moonlit Black Cats were also reformed. I personally watched as Kirito gasped in shock to see the resurrected members of the original Moonlit Black Cats, Sachi in particular. Sachi has long black hair, light skin, sea green eyes, a light blue tunic and skirt, a dark blue chestplate, a belt, and gray boots.

That's not all that has happened since the Wither Storm's command block blew up. I ended up helping teach swordplay to a bunch of people alongside other experienced sword users such as the Integrity Knights, Kirito, Mel(a comrade and dear friend from the Knights Of Miitopia), Eugeo, Asuna, Yuuki(who died of AIDS but was brought back by Kayaba earlier today), Mifune(the strongest samurai from Naruto's universe), Klein, and Shadow/Cid of Shadow Garden. Groups like the Akatsuki(with Nagato appointed guild leader due to the game's mechanics requiring guild leaders), Z Fighters(with Goku as leader), Athena's Saints(led by Athena herself), Team 5Ds(led by Yusei Fudo), and Shadow Garden organized as guilds in this game as well. I joined the Akatsuki guild as I'm still a member of the Akatsuki after all. The New Order Of The Stone are leading efforts to mine a hefty amount of resources in a short time. Outside of the Town Of Beginnings, everything up to the 14th floor has become mostly blocky, even the landscapes of Aincrad that were already there. Dieo, Doomer, and Snarky personally assured me that Twisted Land would be quickly established as a huge safe zone and place to acquire free food, drinks, and shelter(which it already is but securing that trait of Twisted Land was important). Other locations such as Beacontown, The Lost Academia, Testificate Forest Village, and Boomtown are also undergoing the same process. Some monsters were able to be killed by those who aren't counted as players by the system and with the materials collected from them, feasts were cooked all over the Town of Beginnings. Thanks to the transfer of real life skills, the likes of Fluffy Afro and another friend of mine known as Lauren were able to successfully make amazing feasts. The food gave us joy and hope, just what we needed.

Before I started helping train a lot of people in swordplay, I was approached by SAO's infamous info broker Argo to help her on a little project. She has begun a guidebook series on all of the various worlds that have been mixed together. Somehow, she figured out I knew a thing or two about all of them. I accepted helping her out and began doing so by feeding some information to her. I wasn't the only one who was asked to help. Ghost Gal, Playmaker, Jesse, Ivor, Hamaduh Riley(yeah good idea asking a mischief maker who graduated from the Lost Academia), Kirito, Asuna, Alice, Sinon, Leafa, the RCT3 Park Inspector, Saw Mill Killer, Despair, and various others ended up choosing to help her as well. The plan is to distribute free guidebooks of everything we know so that the chances of anyone else dying decreases. The first guidebook is already out on what we know about the first floor of Aincrad now that it's full of Minecraft stuff. That includes a large section on Twisted Land because it literally takes hours to experience everything that's in it so far and the layout is very confusing to a lot of people. I told Argo to use the Kanoka volcano as a primary reference point. So now, we have the guidebooks coming which will help save many lives. Hopefully that includes Diavel's now that he's back too. Kirito was incredibly shocked to see him.

Those of us best at spreading information such as the ninja of Naruto's universe helped make sure as many players as possible got the request to return to the safety of the Town of Beginnings which has now been restored to its former glory in large part thanks to Cardinal. Until we can distribute good equipment to a lot of people, it's not that wise to venture out of the Town of Beginnings right now. That is unless they got an escort by Ender or one of his fellow Endermen friends since they can all teleport with ease. Ender's boyfriend, Shadow is an Ender Dragon. He now roams the skies around the Town of Beginnings to protect it and its inhabitants from some of the threats just lurking near it. Because no other gaming worlds were merged into Aincrad, the likes of even the World Keepers of Ni No Kuni are unable to use their abilities in this game. If they were able to, the monsters near the Town of Beginnings would have been toast hours ago. We're literally on a game mode that's far worse than hardcore. Hardcore is soft compared to the Infinityverse.. Let's hope the mining for resources goes well because it's the fastest way to get better gear right now. Even just the level 1 monsters can't easily be defeated by a party of 2 players. Even those level 1 monsters slaughter the average starting player in here. It's that bad. That was found out from not just what Roddy saw but what others have seen and/or experienced as well. With both pre programmed sword skills and real skills having effects on one's gameplay, teaching people swordplay has been interesting.

We start with the pre programmed stuff and then move to real sword skills. There's more to it but that's the main stuff in a nutshell. I'm just glad that some of the feast foods included bread from Minecraftia. In Minecraft, you don't need to cook to make bread, cake, cookies, or pumpkin pie. All you have to do is craft using the needed ingredients. If anything, the way Minecraft works is what will allow us to have a chance at beating the entire game. I went to the room I shared with several others in a relieved state of mind. I got some looks from some of my roommates since well, I refused to take my armor or cape off. It may only have the attributes of the basic gear I have in all but appearance but it still feels as heavy as ever on me. That has no effect on my combat but still, 900 pounds like always. Kirito ended up being one of my roommates. Rooms generally are only made for 1 to 2 people but since about half of the players that were around during the launch of the game are still alive.. The inns in town don't have enough rooms for everyone. Not even close, in fact so it was decided to have about 5 people each share a room. With the little col acquired by those who can actually still kill the monsters out there, a lot of sleeping bags and things were purchased. Kirito says to me as I lay down on the bed after the others insist I be one of the ones to lay on it for the night: "Swiftdrawer, aren't you going to take that off?" "I know my gear only looks and feels like my real armor and cape but I simply refuse to take any of it off. My armor and cape are a part of me. I slept in them every single night for months before getting trapped in this vile game despite them weighing 900 pounds combined. They're a part of who I am as a knight. I still have to restore my honor but wearing my armor and cape gives me comfort and solace."

"Well, you do you, I guess. 900 pounds?! How?!" "Lots and lots and lots of battles and training that seriously pushed me. But still, I can't believe people trusted me to help teach the others swordplay today. I must have looked like a real evil maniac when I went on a rampage during our fight with the Wither Storm." "One thing I've learned is that it doesn't matter what's on the outside. It's what on the inside that counts. You helped save a lot of people and have been nothing but honest with everyone so far." "So that's it, huh? As long as I stay true to myself even when speaking to others, I will be fine since I'm a knight." Sleep was peaceful that night despite all of the nightmares I experienced. When I woke up, something didn't feel right. Bray approaches me once I exit the room I was staying in: "Swiftdrawer, something is happening and you won't like it." "What's going on, Bray? I'm still coming to terms with all of the nightmares I had last night.." "*hugs me* My friend, I must inform you. Dominic and I confirmed the cause of something mysterious that began last night. Some players have died mysteriously or have experienced serious cognitive and physical decline since the launch of the game." "What the hell?" "Indeed. Finding the cause was an intriguing process. It took some time but in the end, we determined the problem." "And what's the problem?" "Those players happen to be from versions of Earth with similar timelines to your own as far as we could tell. The problem is Covid." "Covid?! That can't be! Some of the players have gotten Covid and because it's affecting their real bodies, it's affecting their bodies here too and even sometimes killing them?! There's nothing we can do since we're stuck here.. My timeline is trapped inside endless Covid-19 and perpetual Russian Roulette. We should have known that Covid would affect people even in this game." "Indeed. But that's not the only thing. Covid is spreading inside this game." "...Why am I not surprised? People don't take Covid seriously in my timeline.."

"...I was under the impression you would react more strongly." "When it comes to Covid, nothing surprises me anymore. It's killed at least tens of millions of people in my timeline alone. Well, we better do what we can to slow the spread of Covid since disease exists in this game too apparently. I can use Artist's Eye to create a good number of N95 masks but I'm afraid I won't be able to make nearly enough for our needs. Getting people outdoors will help slow transmission a lot too." "I shall not ask just how bad it really is. I have enough of an idea as it is. This will be intriguing to do but it must be done." 2 hours later, we managed to finish doing our best at slowing the transmission of Covid while also identifying anyone who has any illness symptoms or is feeling a little off today. We did the best we could and Dominic is among those furiously researching how to create Covid tests and vaccines using the resources of the game. The next week was focused on gathering resources, dealing with Covid, starting to let people out to hunt monsters, plan for the ender dragon fight and 1st floor boss, and continue to train people. I will recount what happened on Day 9 of the game in my next writing. That was the next critical day for a variety of reasons. To be continued..

Closing Theme: Keep Going

"I don't know what the future holds. *Images of a USA in which a trans president is inaugurated and one in which the marginalized are slaughtered by orders of a Republican president are shown side by side.* Fight, fight, we always gotta fight for whats right. *The Assault Team get together and stare at what threats lie ahead* When everything calms down, something descends to disrupt the peace. More and more sacrifices are more in order to forge a better future. *Many characters die one after another* My eyes are filled with tears, my heart hurts, and my mind is falling apart. It's the same old thing all day, every day. *A scene featuring Kira laughing maniacally is shown* People die unnecessary deaths all the time because the forces of evil won't relent. They want everything without regard to the cost of all they want. *Mr. Heartland grins in satisfaction as he sees the Infinityverse empty of living players as well as Don Thousand's force prepare to attack the residents of Heartland City and Neo Domino City* Keep going, now's not the time to let up. We can let up when there's peace but right now, there's only fighting, suffering, misery, surviving, and all that stuff. *The Akatsuki make a vow together in the midst of a bloodied RCT3 park*The fight will never truly or completely end, we'll fight for eternity if we must. *Swiftdrawer stands calmly, ready to draw their sword at a moment's notice as a landscape rapidly transforms from a medieval village to a sci fi utopia behind them.*"

"Bond to a fate we must choose in order to safeguard the past, present, and future, we are duty bound to keep going. Fight, fight, we always gotta fight for whats right. *BRAINS members put their hands together in the middle of a classic tabletop style game of Duel Monsters* When everything calms down, something descends to disrupt the peace. More and more sacrifices are more in order to forge a better future. *The Knights Of The Blood Oath gather at a newly erected gravestone in the Town of Beginnings as rain falls from the sky* My eyes are filled with tears, my heart hurts, and my mind is falling apart. It's the same old thing all day, every day. People die unnecessary deaths all the time because the forces of evil won't relent. *Kirito furiously screams with tears in his eyes alongside his closest friends and other notable characters.*They want everything without regard to the cost of all they want. Keep going, now's not the time to let up. We're going to break apart and risk losing it all again. *The Integrity Knights comfort and offer their hands to a group of defenseless players who have lost all hope* A better future requires so much sacrifice. Some must give up everything: their friendships, their health, their resources, their strength, their livelihoods, their sanity, or even their very lives. We cannot afford to back down if we want to stop this destruction. *The Order Of The Stone and Lost Academia graduates and teachers rally a large number of supporters*"

"Blood streaming down our faces alongside our sweat and tears, it never seems to stop for even just a moment. *The Lancers, Team 5Ds, and Playmaker's faction all comfort each other as they all sweat and bleed or even cry.* Stay together, there's no choice but to keep going together. Keep going, now's not the time to let up. *Endermen, snow golems, furries, and martial artists hold hands while walking*Can you feel it? Your pain, hatred, sadness, rage, joy, pleasure, hopes, dreams, fears, and more. They're coming together to remind you of who you are and what you care about. *Gemini Saga struggles between light and darkness with Athena's other saints staying by his side and offering him support.* I don't know what the future holds. Fight, fight, we always gotta fight for whats right. When everything calms down, something descends to disrupt the peace. *A silhouette of a unknown villain appears standing in a burning California forest with a smile* More and more sacrifices are more in order to forge a better future. My eyes are filled with tears, my heart hurts, and my mind is falling apart. *Shield Hero Naofumi is crushed by despair despite the consoling done by Raphtalia and Filo as they suddenly appear in Aincrad.* It's the same old thing all day, every day. People die unnecessary deaths all the time because the forces of evil won't relent. *A marginalized person dies in their lover's arms as the police watch with grins on their faces*"

"They want everything without regard to the cost of all they want. *A image shows the scenario of the KOSA bill passing, causing immense damage that even somewhat affects the Infinityverse* Keep going, now's not the time to let up. We can let up when there's peace but right now, there's only fighting, suffering, misery, surviving, and all that stuff. *The Assault Team gather at the top floor of Aincrad: the Ruby Palace*The fight will never truly or completely end, we'll fight for eternity if we must. *Goku, Vegeta, Beerus, and Whis stand in one spot as time rapidly moves forward behind them* Prepare yourselves for the worst. Get your weapons ready. *Sinon, Llenn, Pitohui, Fukaziroh, M, Pirate Blaster, and others load their guns* For this hell is our reality and it's up to us to make a difference because those in charge have no interest in changing anything. Hold onto everything you have for as long as you can, knowing that you may one day lose all of it and more. *Various brave heroes cry at a furry convention's closing ceremonies*"

This is only the begin of what I went through alongside countless heroes, innocent people, and more in the terrible world of the Infinityverse VRMMORPG. All of this is considered classified information in other universes. Do with what is told here what you will but do so carefully. The continued existence of this writing in this universe lies in the collective struggle for a better future against a global rise in fascism. This story will only feature the most important parts of all the time we were trapped in the game. No person could write about every single thing they experienced in the game and expect to have their sanity or time to do other things intact. Thank you for reading. Stay tuned for more.