"Now! Charge!"
Hachiman, trusting Recon's sacrifice, seized the moment and ordered the advance.
"Amazing, Recon… I won't lose to you!" Leafa, inspired yet determined, led the charge into the gap. As enemies rushed to close it, their spawning abruptly stopped.
"What? Outside interference… Argo? Zaimokuza? Yomino-san?" Hachiman wondered.
"Now's our chance, Hachiman. Let's move!" Eugene urged.
"Right. Eugene, clear the way!"
"We're going too!" Yukino rallied. "This is it, everyone!"
"Egil, stick to the wall and form a circle to guard Hachiman!" Klein shouted.
"I've got the rear, Senpai! Go!" Silica added.
"Yui, prep the transfer!" Kirito called. "The moment we hit the wall, send me, Hachiman, and anyone else you can!"
"Got it, Papa!" Yui replied.
"Let's go!" Hachiman roared.
The group surged into the gap, ignoring defense, entrusting healing to Yukino, and aiming for the core. The frontal enemies were nearly wiped out, leaving only pursuing hordes. Finally, they reached the deepest wall of the Grand Quest.
"Yui, do it! To Asuna!" Hachiman commanded.
"Yes!" Yui responded.
"No one gets near Hachiman!" Klein vowed.
"You two, save Asuna and Liz!" Egil shouted.
"This time, I'll protect you!" Silica declared.
"Hachiman-kun, leave this to us," Yukino said.
"H-Hachiman, Kirito-kun, good luck!" Mobius stammered.
"Big brother, save future big sis!" Komachi cheered.
"Senpai!" Iroha called.
"Don't lose to anyone but me, Kirito," Eugene grinned.
"Hachiman-kun, Kirito-kun, fulfill your purpose!" Alicia urged.
"Count on us!" Kirito replied.
"We'll get it done!" Hachiman vowed.
"Transfer ready. Here we go!" Yui announced.
Yui's cry faded as Hachiman and Kirito vanished. Instantly, all enemies disappeared, and silence fell.
"What…?" Klein muttered.
"The enemies are gone…" Egil said.
"Maybe because players entered the World Tree?" Sakuya speculated.
"We did it!" Alicia cheered.
The group erupted in cheers, echoed by surviving players below.
"Our job's done," Yukino said. "It's up to those two now."
"Wait, aren't we missing people?" Alicia asked.
"Didn't Yui say she'd send Hachiman, Kirito, and maybe others?" Sakuya recalled.
"Who's gone?" Egil asked.
They checked and quickly realized who was missing, nodding in acceptance. Yui, with no time to choose, had randomly sent one more.
"Makes sense," Klein said.
"Fitting, in a way," Sakuya agreed.
"Let's trust those three," Yukino said.
"Hey, everyone, we did it!" Mobius called, waving from below.
"Let's go," Yukino said. "Leafa-san, can you contact Recon? Tell him his efforts made the first phase a success."
"Yeah," Leafa agreed. "He deserves to know."
Meanwhile, Recto Progress was in chaos.
"What's going on? Players are in the World Tree!" an employee shouted.
"Of all times, when it's just us two?" another groaned.
"I'll call Sugou-san," the first said.
"Zaimokuza! Where's Zaimokuza?" the second yelled.
"Sugou-san's logging in from home," the first reported.
"Then we can't shut down the server," the second sighed.
"Evening!" a cheerful voice interrupted.
"Whoa! You startled me… You're from HQ, right?" the first employee asked.
"Yukino Yomino here! Just dropping by!" Yomino chirped.
"We're busy. Can you come back later?" the second said.
"Trouble, huh?" Yomino asked.
"Yeah, something like that," the first admitted.
"I see," Yomino said, her tone shifting. "But I can't let you meddle further."
Her demeanor changed, her eyes flashing with predatory fury. "We've been investigating you. You've done some unforgivable things."
The two employees exchanged glances, then lunged at her in desperation. Instantly, Yomino threw them to the floor.
"Gah!" they groaned.
"Sorry, I'm a master of aikido," Yomino said coolly.
She hit the intercom. "Security? As discussed, you saw the attack on the cameras, right? I've subdued them. Come restrain these two. Police will move in soon—earlier than planned. Hold them until then."
"You… planned this?" one employee gasped.
"You're finished. So is Sugou," Yomino said. "Hachiman-kun, we're done here. It's up to you now. Even if you fail, I'll make sure Sugou doesn't escape. But I hope you succeed, little brother. Save my sister."
Seeing Hachiman and Asuna as her own siblings, Yomino called the waiting police, then dialed another number.
"It's me. Set up as I explained. Take care of him."
Meanwhile, Hachiman had breached the World Tree's interior.
"Phew, we made it," he said. "Yui, where's Kirito?"
"Sorry, Papa, I sent one more person, so your coordinates shifted," Yui said. "Kirito-nii is closer to Mama."
"Good job sending someone else, Yui!" Hachiman praised.
"I tried hard!" Yui beamed.
"Can you tell where Mama is?" he asked.
"That way, Papa. There's an unknown player near her. And… I know who came with us!" Yui said.
"Who?"
"…!" Yui whispered.
"Got it. They'll handle it. Let's move," Hachiman said.
"Yes!" Yui replied.
They advanced toward the others. As they neared the "Test Subject Storage Room," Yui shouted, "Papa! I sensed [Grandmaster] in there for a moment!"
"[Grandmaster]? Could it be… Damn!" Hachiman cursed.
(Sorry, I'll be late… You two, handle it.)
Unable to ignore it, Hachiman opened the door. "Akihiko-san… Are you here?"
No response. He searched cautiously, spotting a familiar name on a monitor.
"Liz… You're really here!" Hachiman said, seeing "Lizbeth" displayed.
"Yui, can we free Lizbeth?" he asked.
"I'm sorry, Papa. I don't have the permissions," Yui replied.
"Damn… Sorry, Liz, hang on. I'll save you," Hachiman vowed.
Continuing, Yui reacted at another monitor. "Papa, here! I sense it!"
Hachiman stared at the screen, a mundane data stream that suddenly flickered. A man's face appeared.
(Bzz… Bzzt…)
"Akihiko-san…?" Hachiman whispered.
(…Tougo… Sorry… My… Use… ID…) The face vanished.
"Hey, Akihiko-san!" Hachiman called.
"The presence is gone, Papa," Yui said.
"Ugh, no point staying. Let's go, Yui!" Hachiman said.
"Yes!"
They returned to the corridor, pressing deeper.
"Did he say 'ID,' Yui? Any idea?" Hachiman asked.
"Only 'ID' comes to mind, Papa," Yui said.
"ID… Could it be? The servers are linked, so maybe…" Hachiman mused.
Ahead, a plaza came into view, with a birdcage-like structure beyond. Hachiman paused, taking a deep breath.
"Papa, Mama's there," Yui said.
"Right. Let's stay hidden and assess," Hachiman said.
He calmed himself and peered into the plaza. But the moment he saw inside, he abandoned caution, told Yui to hide, and sprinted toward the birdcage.
--+--
T/N: Although I'm an inexperienced Editor, I do have a Patreon account! Although it seems like I don't have many supporters right now, my webnovel will be released in full every day, and the advanced chapters will be uploaded to Patreon.
It may not be worth it now, but who knows, it might be different in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/Greyhounds
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