Chapter 84: Future Idol Shigemura Yuna, Advancing Toward the Higher Floors!

The Knights of the Blood Oath Guild had not been formed according to the original timeline, and encountering Heathcliff, the admin who would have joined the game, was proving to be difficult.

Shirakawa casually scanned the surrounding players but couldn't find the target he had in mind.

So he didn't bother focusing on it anymore. Instead, he turned his attention to Diabel—the player who had yet to give a clear answer. He didn't rush or pressure him either.

"You… what you just said—was it true?"

"If we clear out the floor mobs and the minions summoned by the Boss, you're saying… you can take us out of Sword Art Online?"

Diabel looked at Shirakawa's calm expression, his own eyes filled with disbelief—especially after witnessing Shirakawa's earlier magic-like abilities, which had outright violated the rules of SAO.

And yet—no system punishment followed.

That could only mean one thing: Shirakawa truly possessed the strength to clear Aincrad.

The ultimate goal of the raid group was simple—escape from the SAO world.

To survive.

Now that hope was standing right in front of him, Diabel didn't want to let it go. His gaze grew more determined.

"The higher the floors we climb, the stronger the monsters become."

"But if you're truly confident in your strength… then I'm willing to mobilize everyone!"

"Of course," Shirakawa replied.

Kayaba Akihiko created Sword Art Online to present the fantasy world he envisioned. Naturally, it was a world with no magic in its rule set.

Using magic to defeat bosses?

Shirakawa honestly didn't believe magic that surpassed the game's rules wouldn't catch Kayaba Akihiko's interest. If he could find that guy—

Clearing the game would become simple.

Even if Kayaba didn't appear in person, simply brute-forcing through Aincrad wouldn't be much of a problem. After all, there were plenty of players trapped inside SAO.

He could just use them as pawns.

Clearing obstacles would become much easier.

"Ordinary players are like that. All they need to do is clean up the mobs. But for us clearing bosses, we have a lot more to consider."

"Once today's floor is cleared, I'll initiate a general player mobilization."

Diabel didn't find Shirakawa's comments odd. After witnessing the kobold lord's strength firsthand, it was clear they didn't have enough numbers to clear bosses effectively.

They needed stronger tactics and combat capabilities. But if the average players could unite, maybe clearing the game really was possible!

After declaring his justice-driven recruitment plan in front of everyone, Asuna just wanted to get out of Aincrad quickly. The stares from the crowd made her want to find a hole and crawl in.

Especially in front of so many people—hesitant looks from female players, weird expressions from male ones...

However—

After clearing the floor boss Illfang the Kobold Lord, the appeal of joining the main raid group rose sharply. One of those watching from the back, someone who had been eyeing Asuna for a while—Mito—stepped forward.

She carried a scythe-type weapon.

Approaching her friend, Mito couldn't believe how much Asuna had changed in such a short time. She had joined the boss raid group and launched a fierce, elegant assault.

"Asuna..."

"Mito."

With in-game avatars now closely resembling real-life appearances, Asuna instantly recognized her middle school friend, Tozawa Misumi. Feeling slightly awkward under her gaze...

Back then, she'd refused Misumi's invitation out of fear—only to join Shirakawa's group instead.

"Who is that...?"

Mito didn't mind the change itself, but she couldn't help casting her gaze toward Shirakawa, still stunned by his earlier unique magical attack.

"It's a long story, but with Shirakawa leading, clearing SAO is totally possible. Want to join us, Mito?"

If she stayed in another party, Tozawa Misumi would definitely be in danger. Joining the main group was the only way to ensure her safety. More importantly—her identity and demeanor were exactly what Shirakawa seemed to prefer.

She hadn't committed to a party yet, and upon Asuna's invitation, Mito didn't refuse. "Will he... agree?"

"Of course."

Asuna thought to herself: if Shirakawa could carve silver runes into Shinobu Kocho in a hotel, he definitely wasn't the type to turn down cute girls.

Another voice piped up too.

This time, a silver-haired girl with red eyes and a bubbly expression. Her soft face didn't look big—just full of energy. Her white hair was braided neatly and fell to her cheeks.

[Note: In the canon, She dyed her hair milk-tea brown, but in her ai version she has a white hair. Her real hair colour is not stated, so let's just assume that her original hair colour is white. And in this fic, she did not dye her hair]

She wore a white coat and white tights, eye-catching even in the cathedral.

Staring at Asuna, Shigemura Yuuna—still keeping an upbeat attitude despite being trapped in SAO—asked brightly:

"Me! I want to join too!"

[Note: In the SAO original, she was a player who died on the 40th floor. Her father later revived her using the idol AI "YUNA."]

"..."

Looking at the steadily growing raid group, Asuna felt a sense of pride. She nodded, then asked, "What should I call you?"

"Just call me Yuuna!"

"Alright, I'll introduce you to the rest of the team."

"This is Mito, and this is Yuuna—our new members."

"..."

Introduced by Asuna, Shirakawa's gaze landed on the two girls. He already knew the purple-haired scythe-wielder Mito.

But the silver-haired Yuuna caught him off guard. He hadn't expected to run into the future virtual idol this early—while she was still a regular player.

"Call me Shirakawa. She's Shinobu Kocho. Welcome to the team. Take a short rest, we'll start the second-floor raid soon."

"Okay, Shirakawa!"

"..."

Shirakawa casually handed the dropped item, the Midnight Windcoat, to Shinobu Kocho. It didn't offer him any particular advantages or appeal.

SAO's combat system was a bit unique.

As long as a player didn't enter a near-death state, their performance wouldn't decline. At most, they'd feel some mental fatigue.

Glancing around at the resting players, he then turned to Diabel.

"Let's go. Time to begin the second-floor raid."

"..."

"Got it!"

In a game like SAO, where power reigned supreme, Diabel had no reason to object to someone like Shirakawa who clearly had what it took to clear the game. He was even considering cozying up to him.

Commanding the players, Diabel led the group toward Floor 2. Their goal: to clear SAO!