Chapter 79: Teammate—Shinobu Kochou! Entering the SAO World! Intruder Detected?
As soon as the mission appeared, Shirakawa accepted without hesitation.
He had just spent all his points in the Danmachi world… and now a rescue mission?
Well, he was familiar with SAO. A full-dive VR world developed by Kayaba Akihiko. Players logged in via VP Terminals, and to log out, they had to clear all 100 floors of Aincrad and defeat the final boss.
The quickest way to finish the game?
Kill Kayaba's in-game avatar, Heathcliff.
If the system allowed magic, it'd be even easier.
"So this virtual world… It's basically like a pseudo-soul dimension."
"Could I use Kayaba's VR Seed… to build a pseudo-Abyssal Domain?"
The thought intrigued him.
As a chaotic god lacking a true personal dimension, Shirakawa's power was still limited.
Abyssal space was the key.
And this could be the perfect opportunity to create it.
They were all chat group members in Hephaestus' office, so no need to hide things.
He casually asked, "Asuna's in trouble. Rescue mission. Anyone want to come with me?"
"I just became an adventurer…"
Still aware of her own limits, Mai hesitated. Even after becoming a Swordmaster, she wasn't ready to leap into another world just yet.
She didn't really have the thought of helping rescue chat members—at least, not for now. Once the group rescue mission began, broadcasting her progress live in front of everyone would be… social death.
"I can't leave the DanMachi world. This body is just a human vessel. If my real body from the heavens leaves the divine realm…"
"There could be major consequences."
Hestia shook her head without hesitation. Her divine powers weren't very effective in combat anyway. It was better for her to stay and help Sakurajima Mai get familiar with the world.
"Alright, let me see who the other teammate is."
Shirakawa wasn't bothered by Hestia and Mai's concerns and immediately opened the ever-noisy dimensional chat group.
Aqua: Why are you all so fast?! Do you just accept the mission without even reading it?
Railgun: I remember Asuna said she was trapped in a virtual world. It might actually be dangerous.
Future Holy Sword Wielder: I finally exchanged my attribute points and didn't even get a chance to use them!
Mistress of the Butterfly Estate: I... accidentally clicked accept? Also, can I ask who the senior joining the mission is?
Normal High School Student: Shinobu, make sure your weapons are ready.
Aqua: Why are you always the first to accept the missions?!
Normal High School Student: Simple. Just master the technique of accepting missions without reading the details. Maybe we'll team up someday.
Mistress of the Butterfly Estate: Shirakawa-sama, I'll prepare right away!
In the Demon Slayer world…
After the last mission with her sister where they encountered Doma and received help from Shirakawa and Aqua, all the demons were annihilated. Shinobu and her sister Kanae left the Demon Slayer Corps and returned to a normal life.
During that time, Shinobu had been training with the Holy Sword Manual. Though she hadn't yet become a Holy Sword Wielder, combining the combat techniques with her breathing style greatly enhanced her abilities.
Originally, she just wanted to check the mission description—but she ended up accepting it. At first, Shinobu was worried the mission might be too difficult and lead to failure.
But when she saw Shirakawa was also on the team, her worries completely vanished.
Knowing that there would be battle ahead, and that her Demon Slayer Corps uniform was the most suitable, she quickly went to her room to change and brought her Nichirin Blade.
In the kitchen, seeing her sister cooking, Shinobu couldn't hold back her excitement and said, "Sis, I'm heading out!"
"Huh? Where to?"
"To meet Shirakawa-sama, the one who helped us last time. We've got something to handle together."
"Alright."
Hearing the name Shirakawa, Kanae's eyes filled with warmth. She hoped her sister could enjoy a normal life—fall in love, get married. And if the man was Shirakawa... she couldn't think of a better match.
[Normal High School Student and Mistress of the Butterfly Estate have accepted the group rescue mission. They will be transported to another world in one minute.]
[Mission details: Help group member Asuna escape from the SAO game world. The mission ends upon success.]
[Reward: 300 points.]
There was no livestream feature this time.
Even Shirakawa hadn't expected that. But the generous point reward suggested this mission had some special importance—300 points was enough to travel to two different worlds and place anchor points for easy return.
Before heading to SAO, Shirakawa returned to the real world to grab his magical gear. Then he teleported into the SAO game world.
He didn't appear in a city but on one of the unexplored floating islands connected by roads.
Since this was a game world, there were no natural rules preventing him from acting. The chat group's authority surpassed the will of any world.
Even in the divine-rule-heavy DanMachi world, the group could blur identities for a cost. In a relatively weak world like SAO, it was even easier.
"Magic shouldn't be restricted here…"
Magic didn't exist in SAO, so if he could still use his Arch-wizard profession from the Konosuba world, this mission would be simple.
He raised his hand. Thanks to the profession interface, he didn't need to chant spells. Magic surged, and a patch of grass in the distance instantly turned to quicksand, ready to devour anything.
Only problem—mana consumption seemed higher than usual.
"Game world mechanics are making spells cost more?"
Still, with the Arch-wizard's [mana fountain] ability, it was manageable. The only concern was his beloved explosion magic—using it recklessly might backfire.
Just as he was testing his magic, a girl emerged from the trees.
Wearing the Demon Slayer Corps uniform, black hair with purplish bangs tied back with a butterfly ornament, and holding her Nichirin Blade—this was Shinobu.
But unlike her canon self, she didn't look cold or strict. Her lips curled in a small smile, and her purple eyes sparkled with joy.
She waved at Shirakawa and greeted him sweetly. "Shirakawa-sama!"
"So it's Shinobu-san!"
A bit taken aback by the formal address, Shirakawa looked down at the girl who was a head shorter. Shinobu tilted her face up, a little embarrassed.
"Actually, Shirakawa-sama, you can call me Shinobu... like my sister does."
"And you get to use honorifics on me?"
Shirakawa laughed and shook his head. It was hard to be serious around a cheerful girl like her.
With complete mastery of Insect Breathing, Shinobu had enough strength to help Asuna clear the Trial Tower and defeat the final boss. Shirakawa was mainly here to get the Virtual World Seed—if Kayaba Akihiko was willing to hand it over.
"If I call you Shirakawa-kun, is that okay?" she asked, blinking.
"No problem."
"This mission is a bit special. Basically, we help Asuna escape SAO. Just beat the final boss, and we're done."
Shirakawa looked toward the starting city on the first floor. If nothing went wrong, that's where Asuna would be.
Lots of players participated in the beta, so finding her manually would be hard. Fortunately, they had the group chat.
Normal High School Student: Asuna, we're heading to the city. You available?
Future Holy Sword Wielder: No livestream for this mission? 300 points?! So jealous.
Mistress of the Butterfly Estate: I'm just hugging Shirakawa-kun's thigh!
Asuna: Thanks, Shirakawa-kun. I'll wait at the city gate!
"Let's go."
No need to waste time searching. Shirakawa turned to Shinobu. SAO wasn't a particularly high-difficulty world—there was no need to feel pressure.
"Got it, Shirakawa-kun!"
---
System detection: Unauthorized login detected. Attempting initial repair… Repair failed. SAO world has been invaded. Attempting secondary repair… Repair failed…
As SAO's top administrator and de facto god of the world, Kayaba Akihiko stared solemnly at the screen.
Virtual game logins required specific terminals, yet someone had invaded from the outside. Even with GM privileges, he couldn't trace them.
His heart sank.
"What's going on?"
"There's no player data. Is there another way into the game?"
He had originally planned to join as a player to experience the world, but now, with an invader detected, he scrapped that idea.
To leave the SAO world, one must clear all 100 floors and defeat the final boss. Since he couldn't locate the intruder, he'd wait for them at the top.
"Looks like…"
"This just got interesting."