Inferno
What humanity had referred to as Divine Intervention was not truly so
"[Vorpal Strike!]", the gold and silver sword of legend, Caliburn cleaved through the air and unleashed a wave of force that tore through an army of skele-beasts.
Caliburn hummed with an ancient power, its vibration sending adrenaline through the body of its wielder, Kirito. The number one ranked character in all of Sword Art Online, and the solo player that led the charge from the 59th to 67th floor of Castle Aincrad, stood there in his fabled coat of midnight.
Black hair to match his entire outfit, those who saw the bearer of midnight stood in awe as he was bestowed with Caliburn after defeating the boss of the 67th floor, Eins Marrow, the king of skulls. Caliburn wouldn't usually be his weapon of choice, but it helped put on a show. Here, in this massive cave, full of stalactites and its own bodies of water would mark the graveyard of the entire skeleton army.
Kirito, armed with Caliburn, could make dust of the horde of bones, but he stood back and watched his fellow players fight the forces of evil. He inspired this. For 7 months, the players in Castle Aincrad decided it was best to remain below the 50th floor, and enjoy the life they led. Anything further could lead to death, and that meant permanent character deletion. Kirito was the one, out of sheer boredom, that decided to clear the 51st floor completely on his own. Becoming the first and only Solo Beater.
The army was almost gone, and victory would be theirs. Kirito felt a tug on his left sleeve. His wife, Asuna, stood there, rapier in hand and the most adorable eyes. She asked, "My love, what now? Do we play it steady and obtain a casualty-less victory? Or do we press the charge, and claim a swift reward." Her red and white dress was in stark contrast to her bright orange hair.
A good question. Asuna was always more analytical than he. But a swift victory would be better to inspire those who still held reservations about clearing Castle Aincrad. That would be it then.
Kirito slammed Caliburn into the ground, and declared, "SOLDIERS! FINISH THEM QUICKLY. CASTLE AINCRAD WILL BE OURS! NO-ONE IN ALL OF SWORD ART ONLINE HAS THE POWER TO STOP US! WE CHA-"
[Alarm. Alarm. Alarm. Date is XXXX. One hour to midnight]
Kirito stopped. The army stopped it's charge, worried it's leader was somehow harmed. Or worse yet, killed. With wide eyes, Kirito turned to Asuna, and hurled Caliburn her way. With a shriek she caught it.
"ASUNA! I'll be RIGHT back I SWEAR", he yelled as he publicly and openly accessed his menu.
"KIRITO! What the hell are you doing? You can't log out here! And you can't leave the dungeon until the raid is over!", she exclaimed.
Oh right, he had forgotten to tell her that his thousands of hours in the Full Dive system taught him a few things. Especially when one Dived as long as he did. He knew plenty of workarounds to the system. He focused deep down, and felt his body. His real one, outside of SAO….
And held his breath.
The Nerve Gear registered problems with his respiration rate. Alarms started to sound in Kiritos ears as the system force booted him from the game.
The army of floor clearers saw their leader disappear, and noone, not even Asuna, ever saw him again.
…..
Kazuto Kirigaya walked through the empty streets of Redgrave City, unaware of what lurked in the shadows. It was far past dark, approximately 4AM. Kazuto rarely left the confines of his apartment space, usually tucked away in his room. Tonight was different, a chance to be one of the first to buy the newest installment in the Daemon Trigger series, Daemon Trigger Hyper Giga Ultimax 7. The first in the series to be ported to the fully immersive Nerve Gear. This was a once in a lifetime gameplay. To be fully immersed in the Daemon Trigger universe was something Kazuto always dreamed of.
The Nerve Gear functioned by sending electrical signals into the brain's nerves, essentially creating a shared cognition within a dreamlike state. Within Kazuto's favorite shooter, Gun Gale, Kazuto would be dropped into an arena with one hundred other players. In his shared reality, he could feel the dirt beneath his feet, the hot desert air in his lungs, and the cool metal in his hand. No screen, no controller, just the emulation of real combat.
Of course, Kazuto had turned off the pain receptors to almost zero, essentially feeling any bullet as a soft vibration instead of active pain. He had heard of leagues where they had all been required to turn their receptors to 120%. He shivered at the thought. Although, for DT, he might finally try out a higher setting.
Kazuto, across all systems he owned, had spent over 17,000 hours in the Daemon Trigger franchise. It should've been 25,000, Kazuto mourned. Once the Nerve Gear was released, the only title available at launch was Sword Art Online. Once fully integrating your mind within a video game, living it as if it were real life, regular video games just didn't cut it. Alfheim Online or Gun Gale weren't much better. Just distractions from his true love. Lost in his daze, Kazuto failed to notice something shifting in every alleyway he passed.
He hadn't spared a single thought towards the army he had left. SAO was a distraction, after all.
Tens of "hiring now!" signs popped up on every window. Kazuto simply walked past, purposefully ignoring them. His savings were getting low, and it was all he really lived off of. His jacket had holes and tears in embarrassing places, and his other clothes weren't much better. All he really spent his money on was Instant Ramen, the electric bill, and the internet. He just used the gas station by his house for a bathroom. One could call him pathetic, but he preferred frugal.
Kazuto never perceived Redgrave as a dangerous place to be. Of course, it wasn't like he spent much time in the shady parts of town. The city, to him, was uninspired. Even in the modern era, it sported this strange Victorian look. None of the displays were digital, and the town was starkly lacking charging ports just about anywhere. In fact, Kazuto had just passed a PHONE BOOTH of all things. If he had the money to leave, he would ditch this primitive town.
"Excuse me, young man!" a voice shouted, making Kazuto jump. He suppressed the urge to ignore it, fearing the kinds of shady characters that could pop up from time to time. He turned. It was a cop.
"S-sorry. I'm just on my way to the game store", Kazuto bowed as he apologized. Silence followed. Kazuto looked up and saw a strange look on the man's face.
"Which game store would that be?", he huffed, "Especially one that's open at this hour"
"Toyamark, just down the block sir!". An awkwardly long pause followed. Kazuto left his bow, and locked eyes with the cop. "Sir?"
"Right, where are you coming from?" the policeman asked.
"Aegis Apartments, sir!", Kazutos enthusiasm seemed to physically push the cop back.
"Alright alright, well there's no need to yell. Kid, listen, you should come with me. I have a few more questions." Kazuto's heart dropped. The policeman put his hand on Kazutos back.
Kazuto shuffled and walked out from the mans grasp. "I don't understand, what have I done wrong? If I'm late, I won't be able to get a copy until tomorrow!", he begged. Kazuto couldn't imagine a greater hell: all of his friends online exclaiming how great this entry was. Leveling up, discovering secrets, killing Daemons, all without him. This was a nightmare.
"I'm sorry kid," the cop sighed, as he grabbed onto Kazuto's arm. His heart pounded in his ears. What to do? What option did he have? He can't go with this man. He can't.
With a single powerful step, Kazuto caught the man off guard and slipped from his grasp. What the hell am I doing?, but Kazuto was already in a full sprint away from the cop.
"HEY! Get back here!" Kazuto heard from behind him. What was he thinking? He hadn't gone for a run in years, he barely survives a trip up the stairs. In mere seconds he was beginning to lose his grip on reality, his vision blurred at the corners, a sharp pain entered his chest. He figured his best bet was to turn a sharp corner into an alleyway. He accidentally crashed into a trash can, denting it. Of course, he couldn't have predicted that it was a complete dead end.
Kazuto shamefully staggered to the end of the alley, right into a brick wall. He collapsed into garbage bags. The policeman quickly caught up.
"What the hell kid", he struggled to catch his breath, but he was doing far better than Kazuto, who was completely hyperventilating. "You just made this so much worse for yourself. What the hell were you thinking?"
Kazuto remained in place, shuddering. The policeman stared in fear. Kazutos shaking grew far more intense. "Kid…" the policeman said, "listen, I get it. I used to be the same way, but-".
A glass bottle flew at the officer's head. He narrowly dodged it, hearing it shatter behind him.
Kazuto stared intensely at the man. Mouth hanging open, eyes wider than the sky. "WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU. DON'T YOU GET IT! IF I MISS THIS OPENING THEN I'LL BE LATE TO THE META. HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO PLAY THIS GAME IF I DON'T KNOW THE META. WHY THE FUCK WOULD I PLAY A GAME I'M GUARENTEED TO NOT BE GOOD AT. THERE'LL BE NO PARTIES TO JOIN, ALL FARMING ZONES WILL BE CLUTTERED, ALL SECRET MAGIC ITEMS WILL BE CLAIMED. EVERYTHING WILL BE SPOILED FOR ME. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IF THAT HAPPENED TO SOMETHING YOU CARE ABOUT? YOU LIKE BEING A COP? DO YOU ENJOY IT? WELL WHAT IF SOMEONE FILLED ALL THE BEST PLACES TO PATROL WITH CRACK WHORES AND CRIMINALS. OH THAT WOULDN'T BE NICE WOULD IT? WHAT IF I SPOIL THE ENDING FOR YOU? YOU'RE GONNA END UP SAD, ALONE, DEPRESSED AND KILL YOURSELF AT 43! DID THAT RUIN IT? HUH? THEN JUST SKIP TO THE END! KILL YOURSELF KILL YOURSELF KILL YOURSELF!".
Kazuto's mouth foamed.
Indeed, God is not here. It is a hard truth to accept. That divinity does not exist. That we're all alone.
"H-Holy fuck kid." The policeman said in shock. He grabbed the radio on his shoulder. This was it. Kazuto would go to jail. This was officially the worst day ever. He was going to fall so behind in Daemon Trigger. He should just die. Never again would he ever grace that beautiful reality. Killing Daemons, kicking ass. He began to weep, slowly, and pitifully. "Need backup, got a kid here. Real messed up in the he-"
SLASH!
What? Kazuto looked up. The policeman gazed at him. The kind of stare that said a million things. It seemed to say, "I'm sorry for how I treated you. I should've tried harder to understand you. You should take my wallet and all the money inside. Take my card as well, the Pin is 9822. Go ahead and buy that video game. Hell, buy yourself some pizza too".
Then his head hit the ground. Then his upper torso, then his lower one. Blood and puss oozed out of these policeman slices. It took many moments to understand what was fully happening. Kazuto didn't see it until it was right up against his face. The Devil.
So alone. Who will help us?
Kazuto screamed in the devil's face. It was so twisted and putrid, Kazuto had never seen something so inhuman. It looked like someone had their face peeled off, reversed and grafted back on the wrong way. The rest of it's body was like…a red rocket. A really disgusting, pulsing red rocket with a face and spindly arms, ones with knives for the fingers. He screamed once more, "A DAEMON!", he barely held his yell as one of the deamons thin finger knives entered his shoulder. It was too much for Kazuto to bear. He threw up. A lot. He didn't even think he ate or drank that much all day. It just kept coming, like opening a fire hydrant. Right into the monster's mouth. That made it throw up. It wriggled in pain.
This was his chance, he stumbled to his feet and started running again. He wasn't in pain this time. Probably adrenaline. It was a pure survival. Where could he go? Was he safe anywhere? Then, it clicked. The game store. Toyamark. It was just down the street, only a block away. He would be safe there. It was almost the opening hour as well. That thought brought much joy to Kazuto. All his pain from the wound and his body disappeared.
He reached the proper address, and euphorically collapsed inside, not noticing the door was unusual for a game store. Finally, he thought, Daemon Trigger. Sweet and utter salvation. He let go of all his fear and stress. Today wasn't real. It couldn't have been. Kazuto was so overjoyed, he kissed the floor.
Peanuts? Salt? Dirty boots, blood? Kazuto looked up, and saw what looked to be a low-end bar. Or a poor imitation of one. A poor man-cave was really more accurate, with a jukebox that flickered on and off, a bizarrely placed pool table, and odd flags on the walls. A sad man must inhabit this space. Standing up, Kazuto was greeted with the sight of old moldy pizza. What…is this place? He thought.
This was surely the right address. Hadn't he been here before? Maybe it had been rebranded somehow? There were stained leather couches, old second hand subwoofers, and a strange animal rug on the wall. Suddenly, the red rocket monster burst in through the door, slicing it into pieces. Was that a saloon door? How impractical is that?. Kazuto was going to die in a mid-life crisis pit. He fell to his knees, ready to accept his fate. He bowed his head to the red rocket monster.
When mankind was in danger, there was only one who would answer the call for help.
VROOM VROOM!
Kazuto had released everything. His hope, his dreams, his bladder. But that noise sounded so familiar. What was it from? In an instant, a crash resounded through the room. Large pieces of wooden and tile debris rained from the sky. A motorcycle crashed through the roof. As to how a motorcycle could have possibly been up that high escaped Kazuto. The cycle soared and fell directly onto the red rocket, crushing it.
The rider, a majestic figure of perfection. Perfect abs, stark white hair, a loose cannon aura strapped with two beautiful pistols.
The spitting image of Daemon Spade, the protagonist of Daemon Trigger.
Daemon Spade revved the engine multiple times, smearing red rocket all over the floor and the walls. The monster wriggled in pain, trying to slash at Spade with its broken arms. Spade got off his bike, and stared at the monster.
He scoffed as he grabbed one of his pistols, the black one, and put a bullet in its head. Kazuto hadn't ever heard a gunshot, but felt that even this one had been louder than it should be. Spade hadn't noticed Kazuto yet, it seemed.
"I-", Kazuto tried to speak, but he couldn't get the words out. Spade began to sniff the air, probably repulsed by the smell of demon guts. He looked over his shoulder, right at Kazuto.
…
"Did you piss yourself?", he asked.
An eternity of silence
"N-no," Kazuto whimpered. A blatant lie.
"Why are you wet?"
"A puddle."
"A yello-?"
"Yes"
"You answered that really fast."
"I didn't". He lied again. God damnit! He was fucking this up. What better way to meet your idol than to be covered in vomit and piss? Kazuto got up to his feet finally. "Who are you?" The ceiling fan was weak, but Kazuto was standing perfectly under it, adding a dramatic wind to his hair.
Spade looked off into the sky, through the hole in the roof he himself made. He placed his hand in his pockets, admiring his work.
"Dante".
Dante? Right, this man couldn't literally be Daemon Spade. That would be insane. The man turned, looking at Kazuto's wound. He gave him a perplexed look. "So, were you lookin' to hire me or?", the Spade look alike known as Dante walked towards the old pizza, "I'm a pretty busy gu-"
A massive blade protruded from Dante's chest. Kazuto stood in shock. The pair looked at each other as blood dripped from the blade. As they both looked down, they saw that the red rocket demon had survived. Then, multiple shadowy figures fell from the sky, through the hole in the roof. As they landed, they stabbed tens of scythes through Dante's body in an endless assault. The room was flooded with monsters and every single one sank a blade into him. There were blades directly through his chest, his head, his legs, his arms. Kazuto had no idea whether to run or begin crying again. There was no hope anymore. Blood poured in gallons.
Dante took a step forward.
It caught all of the demons by surprise. Some of them were so unaware, they fell as they failed to keep a grip on their weapons. A literal dead man walking. Kazuto looked at him with a deep desiring hope of safety. Dante took a deep breath in…
Then out.