Yesterday, I mistakenly scheduled a post for the wrong day. My deepest apologies.
That day, the players in Arun sensed an uneasy atmosphere, whispering among themselves.
"Hey, did you see? The Salamander army's flooding into Arun in droves!"
"Yeah, I saw! General Eugene's with them too. Are they planning a war nearby or something?"
"Over there, the Sylph and Cait Sith lords were talking about something. They've got a huge force deployed around them. This is totally war, right?"
"No lie, I swear I saw Absolute Tyrant passing through town yesterday."
"I'm not saying I don't believe you, but come on… Wait, look! Isn't that Lady Mobius, the Undine lord?"
"No way, even the Undines are joining in? I can't tell who's allied with who anymore!"
"Man, I'm such a fan of Lady Mobius… She's so… soothing."
"Right? She's like a goddess! But seriously, with all these races' armies gathered, why's there no sign of fighting?"
"Yeah, what's going on? Fighting's banned in neutral cities, sure, but not even a skirmish? That's weird."
Elsewhere, rumors swirled about a newly arrived party.
"Hey, word is Absolute Zero abandoned neutrality and joined some faction."
"I heard they went under the Spriggans' banner."
"What? Seriously? I've never seen Absolute Zero hanging with Spriggans."
"I know the scoop. They didn't join an army—they pledged to an individual. And guess who's backing them? Absolute Tyrant."
"No way… Should we get out of Arun? I don't wanna get caught up in this."
"Apparently, there's no need to worry. A friend said the higher-ups declared no war's happening."
"What the hell went down in just one night?"
"Some mysterious leader showed up and united all the major factions in a flash, I bet."
Meanwhile, that mysterious leader—Hachiman—was bewildered, surrounded by the four lords and Yukino.
"What's with the vibe in this city?" he asked.
Yukino replied, "Isn't it obvious? Factions that were at each other's throats yesterday are now gathered peacefully. Not a single clash."
Eugene nodded. "I can't believe I'm chatting with guys I was fighting just yesterday."
"Exactly!" Alicia chirped. "Yesterday, it was all 'search and destroy,' right, Sakuya-chan?"
"Indeed, Alicia," Sakuya said. "It's astonishing how one spark can change everything."
"You three seem to get along great," Mobius said. "Thanks to Hachiman-kun!"
"No, Mobius-san, I think it's mostly Soleil-san's doing…" Hachiman replied.
Mobius smiled. "I'm under your command now, Hachiman-kun. Call me Mobius, okay?"
"Oh, sorry."
Yukino interjected, giving Hachiman a nudge. "It's fine to feel that way, but Ane-san only moved because of your group's resolve. So have confidence and lead us five properly."
"Lead? I'm more of a 'please help me' guy…"
"You're the leader here, Hachiman. Step up!" Eugene barked.
Hachiman took a deep breath, meeting their gazes. "Alright, I'm good."
Alicia spoke up. "Just to confirm, we're aiming to clear the Grand Quest, right? You said it might be unimplemented, so even reaching the end could be huge. Plus, we can complain to the devs if it's broken."
Hachiman hesitated, glancing at Yukino. She nodded, and he steeled himself. "I have something important to tell you four."
The air tensed as his tone shifted.
Eugene said, "There's more to this, isn't there?"
"I figured proving the Grand Quest's unimplemented wasn't your only goal," Sakuya added.
"Does this mean you trust us? I'm kinda flattered," Alicia said.
"I'm just following Hachiman-kun, so I'm in!" Mobius chimed.
"You know I'm with you," Yukino said.
"Thanks, everyone. What I'm about to say is top secret." Hachiman began explaining his past as an SAO survivor and his purpose here.
"No way… It makes sense, but…" Eugene muttered.
"Does the police know?" Alicia asked.
"Yeah, probably what Soleil-san meant by 'external tasks,'" Hachiman replied.
"This is big…" Sakuya said.
"As a gamer—no, as a human—I can't forgive this," Eugene growled.
"Our actions will be the first step to exposing this crime," Mobius said, her voice trembling with rare anger.
"I've never seen Mobius this mad…" Yukino said.
"I get mad too, Yukino-san!" Mobius protested.
"Alright, I'm pissed too," Eugene said. "Human experimentation? Trampling on ALO players' hearts? Unforgivable. The Salamander army and I are with you."
"So are the Sylphs," Sakuya declared.
"Cait Siths too!" Alicia added.
"Undines as well!" Mobius said.
"Our small faction fully supports you," Yukino affirmed.
"Sorry for dragging you into my mess. Thank you," Hachiman said, tears welling up.
The five patted his shoulders, nodding. They began discussing battle plans.
"Yukino's team takes the center, Sylphs on the right wing, Salamanders on the left," Hachiman said. "Enemies come from above, so Undines cover the rear broadly."
"Our Cait Sith dragon knights will handle the skies," Alicia said.
"Alicia, is the gear ready?" Sakuya asked.
"Yup, the Leprechaun smiths pulled through. We're set!"
"The front's next," Hachiman said.
"I'll leave Salamander command to Kagemune," Eugene said. "I'll clear the way for you."
"Thanks, Eugene," Hachiman said.
"My weapon shines against monsters. I'll cut 'em down," Eugene vowed.
"You're a pain as an enemy but a godsend as an ally," Alicia teased.
"Same to you," Eugene shot back.
"The rest of the front…" Hachiman began.
"That's us, right?" Kirito's voice cut in.
Kirito and Leafa stood at the door, giving Hachiman a thumbs-up.
"Sorry we're late," Kirito said.
"Wasn't worried," Hachiman replied.
"Sorry for the scare," Leafa added.
"You look refreshed, Leafa-san. Guess there's nothing to worry about," Yukino said.
"Yup, leave it to us. Kirito, Eugene, and I will handle the vanguard," Leafa said.
"Count me in!" a voice shouted.
It was Recon, yesterday's hero.
"Recon, you made it!" Sakuya said. "You did great."
"Sigurd vanished after yesterday," Recon reported.
"You were badass, Recon," Kirito said.
"Honestly, I'm a little smitten," Hachiman added.
"Wow, thanks, guys… Leafa-chan, Yukino-san," Recon stammered.
"Alright, we're set," Hachiman said. "Everyone, rally your forces. Battle starts in one hour. Any issues?"
The group roared in unison and dispersed, leaving Hachiman and Kirito.
"It's time," Kirito said.
"Yeah," Hachiman replied.
"Before logging in, Yomino-san had a message: 'Deployment complete.' What's that mean?"
"As soon as Asuna wakes, they'll take her testimony and nail Sugou. He's done."
"With Yomino-san on-site, we're good," Kirito said.
"By the way, I'm logged in from near Asuna's hospital."
"No way… I didn't notice, logging from my hospital room."
"This is it, Kirito. We win."
"Damn right."
One hour later, the united army charged into the Grand Quest.
--+--
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
If you want to see it, then why not?