The Day of Deicide

The next day, the company responsible for the Full Dive game was mostly set up. Eriri, not one to waste time thinking of names, simply called the company Sword Art Online. Mrs. Eriri had purchased a ten-story building located in Tokyo's busiest commercial district to serve as the company's headquarters.

The management staff was transferred from the Sawamura Group, and recruitment for other departments had already begun. At the same time, the Sawamura Group publicly announced the upcoming launch of the Full Dive game, sparking massive interest, even surpassing the news of the recently discovered superhumans.

There were initially doubts about the game's legitimacy, as Full Dive technology was only theoretical, and no breakthroughs had been made in this world. However, the Sawamura Group, a top-tier global enterprise, wouldn't release false news that could tarnish its reputation, so the public put a lot of faith in the announcement.

The news quickly became the hottest topic, and various powerful organizations began scrambling, discussing how to acquire this groundbreaking technology from the Sawamura Group.

However, before any of these forces could take action, a tutorial titled Full Dive Technology: From Beginner to Master was released online and made available for free download.

The tutorial laid out all the knowledge needed to master Full Dive technology in detail. It was said that anyone who studied the material thoroughly could become a Full Dive tech expert, capable of contributing to the development of Full Dive games.

The release of this tutorial set the world on fire. People dissatisfied with their current lives threw themselves into learning the new knowledge, hoping to change their fate and be the first to claim a piece of the pie.

The public expressed deep gratitude to the Sawamura Group for its selfless contribution. In contrast, capitalist forces were baffled by this move. The technology, which could generate vast wealth, was being made freely available. Those who had planned to secure the technology for profit were left cursing their luck as the knowledge became public domain.

Unable to stop this development, capitalists organized technical teams to study the tutorial, hoping to gain an advantage in using the technology for their own new ventures.

Meanwhile, when news spread that the Sword Art Online Corporation was publicly recruiting staff, an influx of talent rushed to apply. It seemed finding all the necessary employees would take some time. In fact, Lala might even finish developing the game before the staff was fully recruited.

...

"Faster, faster, go faster…"

"Hey, Momo, stop pushing me—ah… damn it, I got blown up again."

"Hm, second place isn't bad."

"Ugh, first place again. Life is just so lonely when you're always winning."

"Eriri's too strong."

"... Come on, let's play another round! I refuse to give up!"

"Bring it on, the result will be the same."

"..."

In a spacious room adjacent to the villa's living room, the sound of excited chatter filled the air.

Each person had a large screen in front of them, connected to a game console, and held a controller in their hands. The screens displayed the cartoonish racing game Mario Kart.

Even Mrs. Eriri was present, joining everyone in the villa for a multiplayer session. Lala, who had put her game development on hold, also joined in for some fun.

This room had been specifically converted into a game room, connecting to several other large rooms. It featured various gaming systems, including arcade machines, desktop computers, and even VR systems.

"Lala, how's the game development coming along?" Eriri asked after securing yet another first-place finish.

"Hmm… I'm about halfway done," Lala responded.

"Only halfway? With your skills, remaking Sword Art Online shouldn't take much time," Eriri asked, puzzled. Lala was known for inventing things in a short time, so it didn't make sense that she'd spent two days on the game and only finished half.

"Oh, you mean that? Originally, it would've taken less than a day to fully recreate Sword Art Online, but I've optimized everything and added some new features, so it's taken a little longer."

"Oh? What did you optimize?" Eriri inquired, intrigued.

"Well, since the game is launching globally at the same time, I've expanded the game's map several times and divided it into four regions—Asia, Europe, America, and Africa. Players will log in based on their region, and while players from different regions can still communicate, cross-region travel will require a hefty teleportation fee.

I've also made the game world more realistic, so apart from calling up menus, it's almost indistinguishable from reality. Oh, and I've added a cooking system where players can prepare all sorts of meals, and the senses—taste, smell, touch—are just like in real life."

As Lala detailed the game's features, it became clear that while it still followed the Sword Art Online framework, it was essentially an entirely new game.

No wonder it had taken Lala so long to finish even half of it. In fact, completing half in just two days was practically a miracle!

"That's amazing!" Mrs. Eriri exclaimed, abandoning her game to join the conversation. "If the game is as detailed as you say, it'll feel like living in a second world."

"Exactly. For some, especially people with physical disabilities, the game could become their primary reality," Eriri agreed. The game's creation might have just as much impact on the world as the emergence of superhumans.

Eriri patted Lala on the head and praised her, "Lala, you're incredible! As expected of a genius inventor."

"Hehehe," Lala giggled, slightly embarrassed by the praise from Eriri and Mrs. Eriri.

"Wow, Onee-chan is the best!"

"Yeah, she's amazing! To think she could make such a game so easily!"

"Haha, I can't wait to play it!" Arifureta and the others joined in on the praise, having abandoned their controllers somewhere during the conversation.

"Oh, and make sure the in-game currency system allows for exchanges between in-game and real-world currency," Eriri added.

"No problem, that's easy," Lala replied confidently.

Following this model, many people might make a living off the game in the future, further blurring the lines between the real and virtual worlds.

Players could earn in-game currency by hunting monsters or crafting weapons to sell, then exchange that currency for real-world money at designated exchange points, fulfilling their real-life needs.

Of course, the Sawamura Group, as the game's operator, wouldn't lose money. Players would still need to spend real-world money to purchase in-game currency for certain features. NPCs would also profit from players, such as through the sale of housing in the game.

While players might profit, Eriri ensured she wouldn't take a loss.

By that point, the Sawamura Group would have secured a firm grip on the world's economic future. Naturally, this would make them a prime target for governments and major powers, but with Eriri around, none of those threats posed any real danger.

Of course, this all depended on whether the majority of the world's population embraced the game. Without that, it was just wishful thinking.

...

The next morning, while Eriri was in class, Erica's god-slaying operation was in its final countdown.

[Red Devil: I've got the Prometheus' Grimoire, and the Heretic God is about to descend. Eriri-sama, when will you be joining me? @Kashiwagi Eri]

[Fallen Angel Black Cat: Is Erica about to slay a god? Good luck!]

[Chika Fujiwara: Erica, congratulations in advance on becoming a Godslayer! You've got this!]

[Arche Eeb Rile Furt: Erica, good luck!]

[Flower Hashira: Erica, good luck!]

[Asuna: Erica, good luck!]

[Iron-Blooded Hot-Blooded Cold-Blooded Vampire: Erica, good luck!]

[Arifureta (Group Leader): Erica, good luck!]

[Ashen Witch: Erica, good luck! I wonder if Godslayers have Fourth Level strength…]

[Fallen Angel Black Cat: Not sure. We'll know once Erica becomes one. Either way, I'm still the weakest in the group…]

[Chika Fujiwara: Oh, Ruri, my poor sister, that's so sad.]

[Fallen Angel Black Cat: ... Crying.jpg]

[Red Devil: Thanks, everyone! With Eriri-sama's help, I'm sure I'll succeed in slaying the Heretic God today! Determined.jpg]

At this moment, Erica was on her way to Sardinia. Not long ago, she had snatched the Prometheus' Grimoire from Godou Kusanagi, who had just gotten off a plane. With her current Second Level, Eighth Stage strength, now a holy knight, taking something from a regular human like Godou was child's play.

After watching her memory projections, Erica no longer had any fondness for Godou, the original protagonist of the story, and found her past behavior in those memories quite ridiculous.

Naturally, she didn't want to have any further involvement with Godou, so she knocked him out, took the Prometheus' Grimoire, and left without looking back.

Her desire for strength had always been strong, and with Eriri's assurance, she had no doubts about her impending success in becoming a Godslayer (Campione).

[Kashiwagi Eri: Oh, is it time? Hold on, I'll be there soon!]

[Red Devil: Okay, Eriri-sama, I'll be waiting for you.]

[Fallen Angel Black Cat: Erica, don't forget to stream it for us! Something as epic as god-slaying can't be missed.]

[Chika Fujiwara: Exactly! Stream it!]

[Red Devil: Of course, no problem.]

[Arifureta (Group Leader): Ruri, Chika, don't you have class right now?]

[Chika Fujiwara: Small issue, I'll just fake being sick and head to the nurse's office.]

[Fallen Angel Black Cat: Same here, I'll pretend to be sick.]

[Asuna: +1]

While Fujiwara Chika, Ruri Gokou (a.k.a. Kuroneko), and Asuna were getting ready to fake illnesses to skip class, Eriri had already opened a world gate and traveled to the Campione! world where Erica was preparing for her battle against a Heretic God.

Eriri didn't bother notifying the teacher. Instead, she subtly altered the perceptions of everyone in the classroom, except for Arifureta, Megumi, and Shea, making them unaware of her departure.

When Eriri stepped through the world gate, she found herself on a relatively secluded road with few pedestrians. In the distance, a red sports car sped down the road, heading toward her.

The car's driver was a maid in a black and white uniform, while in the passenger seat sat Erica Blandelli, her golden hair glistening as she awaited Eriri's arrival.

Since Erica was traveling at high speed, Eriri had materialized several hundred meters away from the car. Despite being so close, Erica hadn't yet noticed Eriri's arrival, her face filled with anticipation as she waited for her.

"Lady Erica, are you really going to fight a Heretic God?" the maid, Arianna, asked nervously, glancing at Erica in the passenger seat. Ever since she heard Erica's plan, she had been terrified.

Slaying gods was no small feat. In this era, there were only six Godslayers, and those who managed the feat had done so by relying on a great deal of luck. Even though Erica was a formidable knight, Arianna doubted she could face a god and survive. After all, even the strongest holy knights had no chance against Heretic Gods.