"I'm sorry, do we know each other?" Saeko asked. I could tell she was a little unnerved by my forwardness and sudden use of her name, but she hid it well behind a mask of politeness.

"Not really. I know you, but you don't know me. Surely a girl as famous as you is used to that, right?"

Now she was frowning, her mask slipping. "I wouldn't consider myself particularly famous…"

"Oh, I think you're a lot more well known than you realize." I grinned. "But that's not why I wanted to talk to you. I suppose you could say I have a proposition for you."

And finally her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "What kind of proposition do you mean?"

"I'll be direct. I want you, Saeko. I want your skills with a sword, and I want your body. I want you to join me and work under me."

She stared at me coldly, eyes flicking over to Asuna, who was just standing there with a vaguely aggrieved expression but otherwise not reacting. But Saeko didn't get angry and she didn't burst out a denial. Instead she analyzed my words and my demeanor and tried to puzzle what my deal was.

"I'm not interested in any such arrangements," she said after a moment, tone icy and brooking no argument.

I just grinned wider. "Now, now, don't be like that. You haven't even heard what I was going to offer in turn."

"I very much doubt that I'd be interested in-"

"All of the victims that your heart desires," I interrupted her.

She froze. "...Excuse me?"

"Ah, that caught your attention, didn't it?" My lips parted, baring my teeth as I smiled. "I know all about what you're really like, Saeko. I know about your hidden sadistic side, the one that revels in expressing your power over other people. I know all about the Saeko that wants nothing more than to hurt others."

Her eyes widened as I talked and she stared at me, shaken. I had her full attention. "I- I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're a poor liar Saeko, you shouldn't even bother. You've started to realize it, haven't you? The more zombies you slaughter, the harder it is to ignore the joy that rushes through you each time your bokken crushes their bones and sprays their blood. The heat that builds up in your loins as you prove your superiority to the world. With each passing hour, it becomes harder and harder to ignore, doesn't it?"

She took a step back, fear coursing her entire body as her deepest secrets were so easily and unexpectedly laid bare. "What- who are you?"

"My name is Morgan, and I want to give you the chance to indulge in those desires. I want to bring you to a place where your main duty is to crush any and all challengers. I want to give you a chance to shine, and be who you truly are."

"I- no, I cannot," she denied. "Those feelings… they're wrong, I cannot-"

"Who says those feelings are wrong?" I cut her off again. "Society? Society here is dead. And I'm not from here anyway. Where I want to bring you, the only rules are the ones I make, and as a fellow sadist? Putting your enemies into the ground and teaching them their place is encouraged."

I could tell she was tempted. She had spent years burying these desires that she had accidentally unearthed when she fought off a man who tried to accost her. But once she had gotten a taste, locking them away had only made them grow stronger, and the violence of the past day or so since the apocalypse had kicked off had given her more stimulation than she knew how to handle.

But she hadn't restrained herself for this long by chance. Saeko had steel in her, a steel that she relied on just then to reign in her desires, her emotions, and to calm herself. "I… cannot," she said. She nearly had to force the words out, like it was painful for her, but she said them calmly. "I made a promise to my friends, to help them find their family. I must see that promise through."

"Loyalty is a fine trait to have," I agreed, nodding and ignoring the look that Asuna gave me when I said that. "But surely extenuating circumstances can override a promise such as that? Say, if you were to do something even more important for them instead?"

She looked at me strangely. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean I'm willing to offer you a deal, and sweeten the pot a little. If you agree to come with me, I'll prevent this place, and all of the people here, from dying."

She tensed, alarmed. "Explain yourself!"

"Calm down, this isn't a threat. It's more of a prophecy. This place is doomed to fall. I know exactly how it happens, and I know exactly how to stop it. Only I can save the lives of everyone here." I looked her straight in the eyes. "And I will… if you agree to become mine. That's a fair trade, don't you think? Your life, in exchange for the lives of all the people here? You don't even have to die, and in fact I'll take you to a place where your every desire will be met. A pretty good deal, don't you think?"

"I… that doesn't make any sense, you can't possibly know that."

"But I do. I know it the same way I know the secret desires within your heart that you haven't told a soul. Oh, and before you accuse me, no, I'm not the cause of this place's downfall. Like I said, this is a prophecy, not a threat."

Her chest rose and fell as she breathed heavily, nearly hyperventilating. I could practically feel the panic wafting off of her. "How then? What happens?"

I shook my head. "Telling you would defeat the point of me using it as a bargaining chip, don't you think?"

"I'll… I'll tell the others that something is going to happen-"

"And when they ask you how you know and just 'what' is going to happen? Or 'when'?"

"I'll tell them you know," she said, steel once more entering her voice.

"How could I possibly know? I'm just a poor little girl who's scared and alone. How could I know the future? Even if you're friends with Saya, I doubt you could convince them of anything. I'm a very good actor. At best, you get us kicked out and you lose your chance at preventing the doom of this place."

I could see the gears turning in her head as she tried to find an alternative. Suddenly, her hand darted out and grabbed me by the collar, lifting me up clear off the ground.

"Then I will force it out of you," she said, guilt and determination warring in her eyes. It was a last resort option she didn't want to use, but would for the sake of the others.

But I just continued to smile at her.

There was a tinkling noise and suddenly sharp steel appeared between Saeko and I. Saeko flinched back, looking at Asuna, who had drawn her backup weapon and interposed it between the two of us.

"Sorry, as much as I would love to see you do that, I can't let you," Asuna said, gritting her teeth. Failing to protect me would be disloyal, after all, and it would trigger the Master-Servant Contract's punishment.

Saeko stared at Asuna in shock. "Where did you get that sword," she asked before her eyes looked down to the blade. "What- what is this sword?!"

"Just one of the many benefits that comes from working under me," I said. "I equip my people well. You should probably let me go though, before she turns it on you. Unless you're a masochist as well as a sadist?"

She glared at me, but the effect was lessened by the clear confusion on her face. We were impossibilities according to the world that she understood, in more ways than one.

After a moment she let go of me. I fell a few inches to the ground but landed easily and smoothly. I brushed off my collar as I looked back up at her. "Now… about our deal?"

She stared at me for a few moments. "What is it exactly that you would have from me?" she finally asked.

"I operate a place that I call a Dungeon. Periodically, others will enter the Dungeon for one reason or another to challenge me. Your job will be to position yourself somewhere in that Dungeon, in a spot determined by Asuna here, and defeat anyone who comes your way. You can't kill them, and I'd prefer it if you avoided scarring them, either physically or mentally, but we have good healing capabilities so that's not too much of a concern. Your safety is also assured. And additionally, you'd be obligated to do a few other things, such as training, joining me when we leave the Dungeon to obtain things, and also to be my loyal sex slave that takes my cock whenever I want to use it on you."

She blinked in shock. "...what?"

"I'm a man, to be clear." I winked at her. "You can ask Asuna here. Or I can show you?"

A blush appeared on her face, but she controlled her reaction and narrowed her eyes at me. "Do you realize how ridiculous that all sounds?"

"Honestly I left out a lot of the truly ludicrous stuff. But if you don't want to accept my deal, then that's fine. Have fun watching this place burn as everyone is eaten by zombies."

Once again she paused as I reminded her of what I was offering in turn. Saeko was a smart girl, she was level headed, and she was tough, both physically and mentally. But even a girl like her could only take so much. I kept jerking her in different directions with my reveals, demands, jokes, and reminders. She couldn't keep her balance.

"I… I…" she stammered, unable to put her undoubtedly jumbled thoughts into a coherent sentence.

"Tell you what, this is how we'll do it," I offered. "This is a deal after all, and I could be lying, no? You only have to come with me after I save this place, after you see proof of it about to fall and I prevent it. I'll spend all day out on the front lawn, fully visible, so you can be reassured that I'm not the one that causes the downfall. Asuna as well. But if you don't agree, I'll leave now and let fate take its course." I extended my hand to her. "So… do we have a deal?"

Saeko stared at me with a conflicted expression, and I waited.

In truth, I was giving her one hell of a softball with reassurances she hadn't even asked for. But there were multiple reasons for that. First off, it was because I could afford to as I was telling the truth. Unless our zombie killing somehow butterflied things away, events should unfold exactly as I described them without me having to do a thing.

Secondly, and most importantly, was that in doing so, I used her greatest weakness against her. Her sense of honor. Saeko was raised in a very traditional home, and honor was extremely important to her. I would even go so far as to say it was probably her primary means of keeping her own desires in check, because indulging in them wouldn't be very honorable.

But honor was a chain, one that I had wrapped tightly around her. Honor demanded that she sacrificed herself to save the rest of the people here. And by offering her a fair deal in good faith, by going the extra step to cover possible loopholes that she hadn't even considered, I brought my own honor to the table. Sort of. If I was really honorable I wouldn't have been using the lives of the people here as a bargaining chip, but there was still a degree of it there, enough to strengthen those chains just a little bit.

When it came down to it, Busujima Saeko was fundamentally someone who couldn't turn down my deal. She just needed time to realize that she had no other option. And time enough to convince herself that she was doing this for honor, and not the promises of allowing her to indulge in her sadism.

People are capable of convincing themselves of all sorts of things they normally wouldn't when their own interests are on the line.

I spotted the very moment she gave in. Her shoulders slumped slightly, her eyes calmed, and her expression shifted to a mix of defeat and anger. "Fine. If you save this place and the people within it, I will come with you." She reached out her hand and took mine.

"Pleasure doing business with you," I said as I shook her hand. "Oh, but you can't tell anyone about our deal, okay? If you do and things play out differently, I can't promise the safety of everyone here. Just do what you normally would."

She grit her teeth but nodded. "I'll keep it a secret. So long as you don't pull anything." She let go of my hand.

I traced an 'X' over my heart. "I won't interfere or do anything besides sit here and wait until the time has come for me to act. And I promise that not a single person within these walls will die." I smiled at her. "But I'll leave you to your thoughts now. I'm sure you have plenty to think about. You'll know when it's time. Until then, Saeko." I gave her a nod before turning and walking away, Asuna close behind, her weapon disappearing in a flash of light.

"That was dirty," Asuna commented as we headed back to our previous spot.

"Is that surprising?"

"No. But it felt like it should be said."

I shrugged. "Well, you've said it. And now we have to wait."

"...wasn't it sunset when the zombies broke in?"

"Yep. We'll be here a while."

Asuna sighed. "Are you really okay wasting all this time just for one girl?"

I turned to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "Are you really complaining about me deciding to save a bunch of innocent people?"

She grimaced. "Well.. when you put it like that…"

I shook my head in amusement and sat down, my back against a tree. "Besides, who said anything about wasting? Keep an eye out for me, I'm going to be doing simulation training." The Tome appeared discreetly in my lap. It was fancy and odd looking enough to catch attention, but not enough to be more than a passing curiosity. Not that many people were paying attention to us in the first place.

I closed my eyes and leaned back, silently activating the simulation magic, ignoring Asuna's annoyed sigh as I made her stand watch.

It was about nine hours until the EMP went off that would spell the doom of this place. And once it did, Saeko would be mine.

"Ugh. It's that guy."

I opened my eyes, my mind still half focused on my simulation training. "Hmm?"

"The pervy teacher just showed up on his sex bus." Asuna was looking at the gate, where Shidou had arrived, just as she had described. Then she glanced at me. "You probably look up to him as a role model or something though."

"Please, the guy is a total amateur who thinks using sex to control hormonal teenagers is a big accomplishment. I could have had him groveling at my feet in just a few minutes of conversation by the time I was eight. He's a walking pile of insecurities."

"So he's exactly like you then."

"Sure, sure, whatever you say. But if he's here… then it's almost time for us to act." I ended the mental simulation I was doing abruptly, giving my Linker Core a break in preparation for us moving out and finally acting again.

The past eight or so hours had been dreadfully boring. The simulations I ran did a bit to keep me entertained, but I had to take frequent breaks so as to not strain my Linker Core too much. I had a lot I wanted to do after grabbing Saeko after all, so I needed to be rested.

I wasn't used to not having any entertainment, or at least something to occupy my focus, for that long. I couldn't do anything on my phone without drawing attention to having a working one, not to mention that my phone was a smart one, which this world didn't have yet.

But there wasn't much going on around the mansion that was interesting. There was one moment where Saya's propaganda spewing father showed up and executed his former friend turned zombie live in front of everyone. That was mildly entertaining. But there had been nothing since then besides a few glimpses of what the protagonists were getting up to, which was mostly pretty boring.

Aside from Saeko, that was. She wasn't a constant presence as she was pulled away a few times to talk to her friends or others, but she spent a lot of the day watching us from various distant locations. At one point she changed her clothes, putting her schoolgirl uniform back on as well as some kind of leg guard that were probably normally used in some kind of sport. And more noticeably, a katana sheathed on her hip.

But now that Shidou was here, it was show time. I spotted him at the front gate of the mansion, the bus he drove partially pulled through it. He was standing outside of it, talking to some of Takagi-san's men. A few of his students, the ones he had inducted into some kind of free sex cult in order to control them, were milling about outside of the bus, stretching.

"It's so weird, seeing this," Asuna commented as we watched. "Is this what it's like all the time for you? Seeing scenes from a TV screen play out in real life?"

"I guess, yeah," I replied with a shrug. "I got used to it pretty quick. A week of getting to know Maria did a lot to help with that."

Asuna frowned. "It just… it doesn't feel real. Is it real? Are we in the anime somehow? Was it always real?"

"Those are some pretty philosophical questions." We watched as Rei stormed up to the bus and Shidou, gun in hand, and pointed it at him.

"And?"

"And what? How should I know? If it's fake, it's so realistic it might as well be real, and any distinction you might make doesn't mean anything. And who cares if these are worlds that existed that authors somehow, either through providence or coincidence, detailed in their stories, or if they were made when the authors wrote about them? They're here, they exist, and I can enjoy them." I glanced at her. "You can believe they're not real though, if that's easier for you."

She groaned. "The worst part is that I don't know if that would make it better or worse. Because if it's not real, does that mean I'm not real?"

"Like I said, you're real enough by any measure that actually matters. Anything beyond that is just sophistry."

She didn't reply immediately and we watched Rei and Shidou confront each other, Rei holding the teacher at gunpoint as she decided whether or not she wanted to kill him for ruining her father's life.

"You know, when we watched this part, Keiko-chan made a comment about how that girl reminded her of me," Asuna said as the showdown became more and more tense. "I threw a pillow at her because we had spent the entire time up until then deriding her for being so wishy-washy, whiny, and dependent on Takashi-san. But watching it now… I empathize with her."

"Because of that time with Kuradeel?" I asked. One of her guildmates in SAO tried to kill Kirito once, and she had saved him and held Kuradeel at sword point much like how Rei was doing. And just like Asuna had, Rei backed down and declared he wasn't worth bloodying her hands.

"Yeah," Asuna replied shortly. "It doesn't help that she kind of looks like me too."

"Eh. You're prettier." Asuna didn't reply to that and she just sighed. We watched as Shidou, who looked pissed, was summarily kicked out of the Takagi mansion, him and his students labeled as tainted and unwelcome.

Asuna frowned as she watched them prepare to leave. "Hey… you read the manga, right? What ended up happening to him?"

I searched my memory. "I think one of the last chapters published before the author died showed him alive alongside at least two of the students, ready to ruin some other group."

"So he doesn't die in the crash."

"Nope. You sound pretty disappointed. If you want, after we grab Saeko, we can track him down real quick and change that."

Asuna looked at me as the bus drove away. "Seriously? No love for your fellow manipulative rapist?"

"None at all. Like I said, he's an amateur, and manipulative rapists are pretty selfish, we don't get along. So if killing him would make you happy, by all means, be my guest. I'll support you entirely."

"Why can't you be so nice and supportive about things that aren't horrible crimes?"

"I am, to the others. You're too rebellious for that though, and I have to fix that. It's like house training a puppy. Whenever you piss on the floor, I have to shove your face in the puddle and scold you."

"That is a horrible comparison for several reasons."

High up in the air there was a flash of light. A moment later, the world fell eerily quiet as the constant background hum of electricity running through wires, running vehicles, and generators all shut down at the same time. A nuclear bomb had exploded in the upper atmosphere, sending an electromagnetic pulse over all of, or at least most of, Japan, knocking out much of its electrical infrastructure.

"And that's our cue," I said, standing up. Asuna got to her feet as well, tensing as she prepared herself.

"Are you going to actually explain the plan now?" she asked.

"It's not like it's complicated," I said. "Shidou is about to crash-" I was cut off as the sound of glass and metal crashing into something echoed faintly in the distance. "Like that. The barrier will be breached here in a couple of minutes, and zombies will storm the gate, which they'll barely manage to get closed in time. Once it is, and before they push it down, you and I will kill them all, and you'll go fix the barrier and prevent more of them from coming in. Easy as that."

"Why wait until the last minute?"

"So that Saeko is given absolute proof that this place was in critical danger and we were the only ones able to stop it. Go full out too, give her a real show of the supernatural abilities we're capable of."

Asuna looked at me with disgust. "I hate it when you use me like this, to manipulate other girls."

"Look on the bright side. Saeko will be safer and happier with us, so we're doing a good thing."

"That's not what your motivation is at all!" she snapped. Then she sighed and turned her attention back to the gate. "Nevermind. I know it's useless to argue against you."

I didn't reply, but I did allow myself a little smile. She hadn't denied that Saeko would be better off with us. It was a small step, but Asuna was definitely heading in the direction I wanted. I just needed to keep guiding her there.

As the people around us started to mutter and panic over various things failing, such as one man's pacemaker, Asuna and I stood there calmly, ready. The Tome of the Night Sky was in my hands, spells ready to deploy.

I caught a glimpse of Saeko watching us, the only person to pay us any mind as more and more problems were discovered. The question in her eyes was clear. Was this it? Was this the doom I foretold?

I ignored her. She'd get her answer soon enough.

Sure enough, a minute later a man came running up the street, a wave of zombies following close behind. "They're coming!" he yelled as he ran for the gate. "They're coming!"

"Hmm. I promised Saeko that no one within these walls would die, and if I remember correctly, that guy dies right on the border," I mused as he approached. "I would arguably be correct so long as he doesn't make it in completely, but I might as well be thorough. Go save him and close the gate."

Asuna's only acknowledgement was a flash of light as she equipped her favored rapier once more and dashed for the entrance. She blurred, reaching the man in an instant just a couple of meters away from the gate. She grabbed him by his shirt with one hand, throwing him back to safety. Her other hand swung her rapier to behead the two zombies that had almost reached him.

She then jumped back, grabbed hold of the gate, and used her superhuman strength to immediately slam it close. She was just in time too, as the faster zombies slammed into the metal bars less than a second after she closed it.

"Close the-!" Takagai-san started to command before stopping as he processed what Asuna had done. "What on earth?" he muttered. Then he shook his head. "No matter. Defense unit, assemble! The outer perimeter has been breached!"

As men rushed to grab weapons and scrambled into position, Takagi turned his attention to Asuna. "I don't know who you are, or how you did that, but you are to be commended for your quick thinking and action."

"Save your thanks for when the danger is passed," I said, coming up behind him and walking past him to join Asuna. "There's plenty more on their way."

He turned his gaze towards me. His eyes were sharp and seemed to cut right through me. I could tell immediately that deceiving him would be a challenge, so it was just as well that I wasn't bothering.

It was clear that he didn't understand me though, and not because of any deception but a critical lack of information. So he did the practical thing, and decided to worry about it later, as there was a far more pressing issue.

"You are correct. I presume you will aid us, then?"

"I'll do you one better. Just sit back and let the two of us take care of it. I promised I would, after all."

His eyes narrowed slightly at that. "Can you really handle it?"

"I won't be insulted if you want to prepare just in case I fail, but this will honestly be a walk in the park for us." More zombies congregated at the gate, pushing against it. I turned to face them. "Just watch me work my magic. Literally. Balmung."

A dozen magic swords appeared in the air around me and launched themselves at the zombies, each projectile spearing one or more zombies through their heads. I heard gasps and murmurs of confusion behind me, and even Takagi seemed genuinely shocked.

"Asuna, mow your way through, I'll get the stragglers," I instructed her.

She grimaced as she looked at the dense horde of rotting undead, but a moment later she was hopping over the gate, blade flashing as she started making her way toward the outer barrier. I did as I said I would and continued to fire off Balmungs as whatever she missed.

"I've never seen such swordsmanship," Takagi said from right behind me. "Nor whatever it is that you are doing. Who are you?"

"The devil with whom a bargain was struck," I answered cryptically. I looked at him over my shoulder and gave him a grin. "Don't worry though. Neither you nor your men are the ones that will have to foot the bill."

He looked at me with a furrowed brow, no doubt trying to figure out how literal I was being with my answer. I left him to it and glanced at Saeko, who was watching everything unfold with wide eyes alongside her friends. I caught her eye and winked at her, and a complicated expression flashed over her face before she controlled it into a flat stare.

I laughed and turned my attention back to the horde. Like a giant mobile saw blade, Asuna had cut through most of them, leaving viscera and limbs in her wake, filling the road. The few stragglers were easy to pick off.

Takagi had noticed my glance though. "I see. So the Busujima girl arranged this. I hope the price was not too demanding."

"Just her life," I said. "Oh, not in a way where I'll kill her or whatever. In a way that she is now mine, completely."

"That does seem like the kind of deal she would accept, should circumstances force her hand. I cannot say I like it, but I will not interfere. I will respect her choice and her sacrifice."

"And also you couldn't stop me if you tried, right?" I taunted him. He didn't reply to that, and I chuckled. "Don't worry. She'll be happy with me, I promise that."

All around us people were staring at me in wonder and confusion. The fact that Takagi was talking to me and the fact that I was still throwing deadly bolts of magic around was probably the only reason they hadn't swarmed me with questions. But I could tell that each and every one of them wanted to.

But that sounded annoying, so when there were only a few stragglers left and I felt Asuna start heading back in my direction, I activated my Barrier Jacket, my outfit changing in a flash of light.

Everyone close to me, Takagi included, took a step back as Sleipnir activated and I rose into the air. I turned my attention fully to Saeko and used a minor spell to amplify the volume of my voice.

"Saeko. I've upheld my end of the deal. And now it's time for you to uphold yours." I raised my hand toward her. "Come."

"Busujima-san?" Takashi asked as he looked at her. "What's she talking about? Do you know what's going on?"

She grimaced. "I do. I'm sorry, I won't be able to help you find your families." She took a step in my direction.

But Takashi stopped her, grabbing her arm. "Hold on a second, what do you mean?!" he shouted. "What's this deal she's talking about?"

Saeko tore her arm from his grasp, a conflicted expression on her face. "This is where we part ways, Takashi-san." She started walking towards me again.

Takashi's face twisted in determination, and he made to follow her. "If you think I'm going to just sit here-"

I snapped my fingers and purple chains sprung from the magic circle that appeared at his feet, wrapping their way around him. "Sitting there and letting this happen is precisely what you'll do," I declare. "She made her choice. I don't care if you're the protagonist, you will not stop her."

"What the hell?" he yelled. "What did you do? What are you even talking about?"

"Don't hurt him!" Saeko protested.

I rolled my eyes. "He's fine, at worst he'll bruise himself struggling against the binding like that, and really that's on him. I'll dismiss it when we leave."

"I don't know who the hell you are, but we won't let you take our friend!" Saya protested as well, stepping up. "Papa, stop her!"

I didn't even bother glancing at Takagi, who didn't move. Saya turned to him, expression falling. "Papa?"

"Busujima-san… you made this choice, correct?" he asked.

Saeko straightened her back. "I did."

Takagi nodded, and then bowed deeply. "I cannot say I understand what is happening, but I thank you."

"Papa, what are you saying?!" Saya protested.

"Quiet, Saya," Takagi said as he straightened. "Your friend has sacrificed herself. Honor that."

Saya gaped at him for a moment before her expression shifted into anger. "Like hell I will!" She turned towards me again, taking a step forward.

I sighed. "I really do hate protagonists sometimes." I snapped my fingers again and more chains sprung into existence. Saya, Rei, and Kohta all joined Takashi in being chained up. I didn't bother with Alice or Shizuka, as I doubted either of them would be an issue. And maintaining four binds while flying was a strain on my focus, though I couldn't let that show.

All four of them protested, yelling, but I ignored them. "Saeko. Enough dallying."

She didn't look very happy, but she continued her way toward me. This time, no one moved to stop her. Everyone just watched, confused and unwilling to interject themselves into the situation. Well, except for the four struggling idiots.

I used another spell, pushing the limits of my focus, as I created a solid magic circle that floated in the air. "Get on," I told her.

Asuna arrived back at the gate as Saeko stepped onto it. She took a look at what was going on and then sighed. "You made a real mess of things while I was gone, didn't you?"

"It's what I get for playing nice, apparently," I grumbled. "But I got what I came here for. Best of luck surviving the apocalypse, all of you. You'll never see us again, I promise you that."

I then gestured and the Floater Field that Saeko was standing on moved, rising into the air. Saeko stumbled slightly as it moved, but she found her balance and didn't fall off. That would have been awkward.

"Busujima-san!" Takashi called out as we floated away. "We'll find you! I promise!"

"So dramatic," I said with a shake of my head.

Down below, Asuna shifted to her ALO avatar and rose in the air alongside us. "You're one to talk," she said.

"Fair. But at least I don't make promises I can't keep." I released their binds as we floated higher, lessening the strain on my focus and Linker Core. "Let's go, Saeko. It's time to introduce you to your new home, and the rest of your family."

Saeko looked down at the group we were leaving behind, expression pensive as their voices faded away. "Okay," she said simply.

I sighed. Part of me wished I had waited to grab her later, more subtly. But I would have then had to deal with the questions of how I could do the things I did, and that also would have been annoying.

At least this way, if I decided it would be fun to have them invade our dungeon, I had suitable bait. Not that I was likely to bother. They were too weak to provide any challenge or real entertainment.

I picked up the speed a bit and started heading away from the mansion, leaving it behind. Saeko watched as it receded into the distance until it disappeared from her view entirely.

The three of us flew over the city, ignoring the crowds of undead and fires below us, heading for the portal. Saeko looked around, paying particular attention to the platform she was standing on, eyes widening in wonder and fear.

"Are you actually a devil?" she asked as the reality of flying through the air finally managed to sink in now that she wasn't distracted by the drama of me taking her away.

I laughed. "Technically speaking, no. But the world is definitely stranger than you know, Busujima Saeko, enough to make this zombie apocalypse look downright mundane."

The rooftop where the portal was waiting came into view, and I saw Ed, Maria, and Lili standing there, keeping an eye out. They spotted us as well and Maria waved.

"Your compatriots?" Saeko.

"Some of my other girls," I specified. "You'll be joining them as their newest sister."

Saeko didn't reply to that and she kept her expression blank as we came in for the landing, settling on the rooftop. I let the Floater Field dissipate as Saeko stepped onto the roof, eyes darting between the others and the portal.

"You sure took your sweet time," Ed commented.

"I ended up taking the slow route," I replied with a shrug. Then I reached over and put my hand on Saeko's ass. She jumped in surprise and turned to look at me, but she didn't move. "But as you can see, I got what I wanted."

"Well of course, that was a given," Maria said. "More importantly, please tell me we're done here. This world is so scary!"

Lili gave me a tired look that spoke of many hours of putting up with Maria's antics. "She says that but she did in fact punch a hole through ten zombies at once, just like you said."

"They almost bit me!"

"None of them even came close to you!" Lili snapped.

As the two of them started bickering, Ed caught my attention and tossed my phone back to me. "We finished up hours ago. The storeroom is filled with enough raw materials to keep me busy for a while, and we loaded up on groceries too. Most of it was still good, though a lot had been raided already."

"Excellent news. We're not done yet though. I need to introduce Saeko to everyone and give her a Falna, but then it's straight back here. There's a bit more that I still want to do in this world."

I ignored Maria's groan of despair at hearing that and turned to Saeko, letting go of her ass so I could face her properly. Her expression was guarded, but she couldn't completely hide how confused and worried she was.

"Beyond this portal is your new home, a domain of infinite stone. It is not of this world and instead connects to many worlds. Every single world that you can think of is a possible place that it can lead to. You will have to leave everything you think you know behind." I lifted my hand.

"Welcome to the Stoneblock, Saeko. I'm looking forward to working with you."

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AN: Believe it or not, we still have one more chapter left in this world. It was originally going to just be two chapters, but I had to split it up differently because, surprise surprise, I wrote more than I intended on top of adding a scene that wasn't in my original outline.

Since it's been mentioned a few times, and this chapter showcases it so well, yes I am aware of the new Infernal heritage and how well it suits Morgan. And yes, I plan on using it. That will come up in-story soon-ish, probably. Still not 100% of how I want to handle the timing on that, as I don't want to detract focus away from the Dungeon stuff right as they're getting it set up and ready to go.