Chapter 457: The Black Serpent

Chapter 457: Chapter 457: The Black Serpent

Chapter 457: The Black Serpent

"Ai."

Kaguya Shinomiya looked at Hayasaka Ai, who had suddenly stood up.

A complicated emotion flickered through her crimson eyes at first. Then, as though finally relieved, she let out a soft sigh and smiled.

"When he comes back, tell him yourself."

"Tell him how you feel."

"Mm..."

Yuuki Asuna also rose from the sofa.

At that moment, both her gaze and expression became incredibly resolute.

"We’ll definitely win."

"It really does feel like something is missing when Asagiri isn’t here."

Kato Megumi spoke softly.

Recalling the preparations they had gone through before every Dungeon with Asagiri, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

"At times like this, he always says something confusing, yet somehow it ends up being incredibly encouraging."

"When he’s around, the atmosphere never gets this heavy."

"It always feels like no matter what kind of challenge appears in front of us..."

"We can win."

Hearing Kato Megumi’s words, Fujiwara Chika fell into thought.

A few seconds later, realization suddenly dawned on her.

"Oh! I get it!"

"Is this one of those... what do you call them?"

"The ’Memoirs of a Deceased Husband’ scenes?"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Ah!"

Yuuki Asuna and Kaguya Shinomiya simultaneously grabbed the throw pillows beside them and hurled them at Fujiwara Chika.

Struck perfectly from both sides, Chika let out a cute yelp before falling face first into the sofa.

"Don’t say something so ominous!"

Kaguya Shinomiya and Yuuki Asuna shouted in perfect unison.

Both girls gritted their teeth, their expressions caught somewhere between anger and exasperation.

As expected of Earth Cancer.

A Demon King class destroyer of atmosphere.

Asagiri wasn’t even dead yet.

What kind of "Memoirs of a Deceased Husband" were they supposed to be having?

...

Several hours later, in the morning.

Tokyo Skytree.

Yuuki Asuna stood before a massive floor to ceiling window and looked down at the open plaza below.

Thousands of Players had already gathered there.

She quietly asked Miwa Ashikaga beside her,

"Ashikaga-sensei, have all the Players from the major factions in Tokyo gathered?"

Miwa Ashikaga glanced at the latest message on her phone before answering calmly.

"The Shijo Family, Shinomiya Family, Dai Sakura Bank, and Ashikaga Budo Association are all here."

"In addition, more than a thousand unaffiliated Players have gathered voluntarily."

The final Dungeon was fundamentally different from every previous one.

Every Player would enter the same world simultaneously.

Because of that, the concept of forming a conventional team had effectively disappeared.

However, to reduce the chances of everyone being scattered upon arrival and fighting independently, Miwa Ashikaga still arranged for the Ashikaga Budo Association and its allied factions to gather together in front of Tokyo Skytree.

It wasn’t only ordinary people who had finally understood the terrifying strength of Asagiri, Yuuki Asuna, and the others through SAO.

For many Players, the game footage had been the first time they truly understood what it meant for one squad to stand at the absolute peak.

And since this Dungeon could not be avoided, and the coming battle would decide the fate of their entire world, joining forces with the strongest Player factions was obviously the wisest choice.

Whether for the survival of the world...

Or simply for their own lives.

However, gathering every Player in one location was too dangerous.

If Nyx somehow blocked or corrupted that single teleportation point, the consequences would be catastrophic.

"What about the Players in the other cities?"

"Are they ready too?"

"Yes."

Miwa Ashikaga nodded.

"Everyone is prepared."

Hearing that, Yuuki Asuna took a deep breath.

Then she spoke firmly.

"Ashikaga-sensei."

"Let’s begin."

"Alright."

Miwa Ashikaga looked down at the [Confirm Entry into Dungeon] option on her phone.

Without hesitation, she pressed it.

[Player "Miwa Ashikaga" is commencing entry into the Dungeon.]

Dark red mist surged before their eyes.

When it dispersed...

Yuuki Asuna’s team.

Kaguya Shinomiya’s team.

Miwa Ashikaga.

And every Player across the real world.

Entered the Dungeon simultaneously.

...

"So we really did appear in roughly the same place..."

The moment her vision cleared, Iwanaga Kotoko immediately began assessing their surroundings.

They had been transported into a broad open area resembling a plaza.

Kaguya Shinomiya.

Fujiwara Chika.

Miwa Ashikaga.

Hayasaka Ai.

And thousands of other Players.

All of them had appeared nearby.

It seemed that as long as Players gathered in the same location in the real world before entering, their arrival points inside the Dungeon would not differ too drastically.

"Next..."

Before Iwanaga Kotoko could explain the plan, her expression suddenly changed.

She frowned.

"There is a Cursed presence approaching."

The moment her words fell...

A disturbing sound echoed from the surrounding darkness.

Scrape.

Scrape.

Scrape.

It sounded like something enormous dragging itself across the ground.

Then several screams erupted from the outer perimeter.

"Ahhh!"

"What is..."

The screams vanished almost as soon as they began.

"What happened!?"

"What was that!?"

The Players immediately grew tense.

Many instinctively retreated toward the center, causing the formation to become chaotic.

"Necro."

Yuuki Asuna looked toward Iwanaga Kotoko.

"Where is the Cursed presence?"

Kotoko immediately raised a hand and pointed.

"That direction."

"About two hundred meters away."

"Got it."

Yuuki Asuna vanished.

In less than two seconds, she had already crossed the distance Kotoko indicated.

Shining Starlight erupted with brilliant light in her hand.

Her eyes locked onto a disgusting mass of black, viscous material spreading through the darkness like living sludge.

Without hesitation, she thrust her sword forward.

"Sword Skill: Stinger!"

A concentrated burst of light exploded from the tip of Shining Starlight.

The radiance tore through the large expanse of viscous darkness.

Most of it instantly dissipated.

Only one enormous shape remained.

A pitch black serpent, dozens of meters long, slithered through the air.

"What is that...?"

Yuuki Asuna frowned.

Before she could attack again, black mist erupted from the serpent’s body.

In an instant, the surrounding area was swallowed by darkness.

It formed a massive cage around the thousands of Players gathered in the plaza.

"Use illumination skills!"

The Players who had survived all the way to Phase Seven were far more resilient than ordinary people.

Although the sudden attack had initially thrown them into confusion, they quickly recovered.

Abilities and items capable of generating light were activated one after another.

The darkness was illuminated.

And only then did everyone realize...

It wasn’t mist.

Countless tiny black serpents, each no larger than clumps of mud, had packed themselves together so densely that they formed the illusion of a cloud.

Their bodies twisted and writhed against one another.

The sight was enough to make anyone with trypophobia recoil instinctively.

But everyone here was a Player.

Compared to disgust or nausea, there was a far more important question.

How were they supposed to break out?

"Hmm..."

Iwanaga Kotoko studied the phenomenon before them.

"A large scale attack should be enough."

A plan had already formed in her mind.

If the thousands of Players attacked simultaneously, they could destroy the mass of miniature serpents forming the dark enclosure.

Once the black mist was dispersed, the true body of the serpent would be exposed.

Then she, Yuuki Asuna, and the others could finish it.

However...

Before Kotoko could give the order, Chibi Mita, who had been sitting on Miwa Ashikaga’s shoulder, suddenly produced two glowing cheer sticks from somewhere.

She waved them excitedly with both tiny hands.

"Woohoo! Woohoo!"

Iwanaga Kotoko froze.

Then she smiled.

"It looks like we don’t need to go through all that trouble."

The instant she finished speaking...

A shrill scream erupted from within the darkness.

The sound was so piercing that several Players instinctively covered their ears.

In the next second...

The countless writhing miniature serpents vanished.

The darkness collapsed.

And a single figure appeared before them.

Asagiri.

His right hand held the Shura Fan.

Its surface was already pressed against the massive black serpent’s head.

The creature thrashed violently.

Its enormous body twisted and slammed against the ground as frightened cries escaped its throat.

Yet no matter how violently it struggled...

It could not escape Asagiri’s suppression.

"There won’t be any pain."

Asagiri raised the Shura Fan.

"It’ll be over in an instant."

Slash!

The sharpened edge of the fan passed cleanly through the serpent’s neck.

Its head fell away.

The enormous body continued writhing.

Asagiri glanced down at it, then brought the Shura Fan down again.

Bang!

The remaining movement stopped.

The entire process was clean.

Precise.

Decisive.

There was even an odd elegance to it.

Almost like...

Someone calmly preparing ingredients before cooking.

"Player! Player!"

The moment Asagiri appeared, Chibi Mita jumped from Miwa Ashikaga’s shoulder.

Her tiny legs immediately began spinning so quickly that they resembled car wheels.

She sprinted straight toward him.

"Is that... Shadow?"

"I finally get to see him in person..."

"So strong..."

"Just standing there, he already feels terrifying."

Whispers spread through the crowd.

Asagiri raised his head.

His gaze swept across the plaza.

The thousands of Players who had been murmuring moments earlier fell silent almost instantly.

Just looking at the scene...

One could easily have mistaken Asagiri for the final Boss every Player had gathered to challenge.

He began walking forward.

And wherever he went, the Players standing in his path instinctively moved aside.

One step at a time...

A clear road opened before him.

Watching the scene, Miwa Ashikaga finally released the breath she had been holding.

As expected.

At a moment like this...

When the fate of the entire world hung in the balance...

Only this man could give everyone gathered here the confidence they desperately needed.

Only Utsunomiya Asagiri.

Only under his leadership could these Players truly believe...

That the final battle against Nyx could be won.

....

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