SAO 15 - Alicization Invading

by Reki Kawahara

  The crystal glass was set onto the table with a hard sound.

  Shasta extended a hand to stop Lipia, who was about to refill his glass, and sunk his back into his armchair.

  “…And the result, would of course be an imbalance in power between the Five Races of Darkness. The Ten Feudal Lords Meeting would become meaningless, and the treaty of equality between the Five Races would leave only its name. If it goes down like that, the «Age of Iron and Blood» that ended a hundred years ago would return. No, it would be worse. Because this time, the everlasting honeyed sea of the Humans would be in front of us. Deciding how to divide that piece of land would take more than a hundred years of war…”

  This was the worst future scenario that Shasta often feared and mentioned repeatedly to Lipia. What was worse, the nine other Feudal Lords apart from Shasta did not think that this was the worst future at all — on the contrary, they were looking forward to it.

  Lipia lowered her head, gazing at the gleaming light exuded by her pitch-black full body armor, which had been her partner ever since her entrance into Knighthood.

  Twice as short as other kids when she was young, Lipia could never become a Knight if she had been born in the «Age of Iron and Blood»; she would have been sold to human traffickers, or abandoned outside the city, ending her short life there.

  Although it was shady, she was still thankful for that peace treaty, as she had not been sold into slavery but instead entered the Youth School, benefited from a late-blooming talent in swordsmanship, and ascended to a nearly unattainably high position for a Human female.

  Ever since she had become a Knight, Lipia had been gathering children who were abandoned by their parents from remote places rife with human trafficking, and took care of them until they were able to enter school. She used nearly all of her income to run a childcare center like this.

  She kept this a secret not only from her colleagues, but even from Shasta. She was unable to explain it herself; why would she do such a thing.

  It was just that—

  Lipia could not help feeling odd about this country, in which power dominates all. Although she had not the wisdom of Shasta, to be able to turn her thoughts into clear words, she felt that there should be a better, more appropriate form of this country — no, the entire Underworld, including the Human World.

  Lipia hazily understood that this so-called new world, is far beyond the peace that Shasta proposed. At the same time, as a woman she was desperate to help the man she loved in order to realize his dream.

  But.

  “…But, how do you plan to convince the other Feudal Lords, Your Excellency? Not to mention… Would the Integrity Knights accept a negotiation for peace?”

  Lipia inquired in a small voice.

  “…Hm…”

  Shasta closed his eyes, his right hand playing with his elaborate moustache. Eventually, he murmured bitterly:

  “About the Integrity Knights, there is still a turn for the better. As the Highest Minister is now dead, the main commander should now be that old man Bercouli. Although he’s a sly old fox, he’s still a reasonable man. The problem… still lies with the Ten Feudal Lords Meeting. On this side… although it may seem to conflict with our goal…”

  Deep within his raised eyelids, two sharply gleaming eyes stared at the ceiling.

  “— Seems like we have to slash a few. At least four.”

  Lipia gasped in shock and leaned forward:

  “Four, you say, Your Excellency…? If my assumption is right, it can only be the two Goblin chiefs, the Orc chief, and…”

  “The Leader of the Dark Sorcery Guild. That woman has always been filled with wild desire for Administrator’s secret to immortality, and the day that she ascends to the Emperor’s Throne. She would definitely not accept the proposition of peace.”

  “B-but!”

  Lipia objected in a strained voice.

  “That’s too reckless, Your Excellency! Even though the Goblin and Orc elders may not stand against your sword… We do not know what kind of despicable trick the Dark Sorceress would use!”

  Even after Lipia finished, Shasta was silent.

  But what he said completely took her by surprise.

  “Hey, Lipia. How long have you been coming here to me?”

  “Hah? It’s… A-about… Ever since I turned 21… Four years.”

  “It’s been that long, huh. … I apologize for always keeping you in a shadow of doubt. How about… It’s time, uh, well….”

  Rotating his eyes and scratching his head with a rustle, the Dark Knight Commander opened his mouth roughly:

  “…Would you, officially, marry me? If you don’t mind me as a middle-aged man.”

  “E…Excellency…”

  Lipia opened her eyes, unable to speak.

  She felt a heat slowly seeping out from deep within her heart, and just as she was about to unhesitantly fly into her lover’s embrace…

  From the other side of the thick great door, a clear, loud voice as sharp as a whip pierced right through the wide room.

  “Big news!! This is some BIG news!! AAHH, what on earth is happening!! Feudal Lords, come with me, quickly, QUICKLY!!”

  She faintly remembered this voice: it belonged to one of the Feudal Lords, the head of the Commerce and Industry Guild.

  Uncharacteristic of the huge, burly figure in Lipia’s memory, the scream continued completely unexpectedly:

  “It’s THE MOST important event EVER!! — In-inside the Throne Room! The sealing lock! It’s SHAKIIIING!!”

  Part 2

  Under the identity of Emperor Vector, Gabriel Miller, dominating the Throne Room, surveyed the artificial Fluctlights prostrated on the ground with a hint of awe.

  They were all photon information sealed in Light Cubes with each edge two inches long. Even so, in this world, they were true humans with intellect and souls. As expected, however, out of the ten in a line at the very front, half of them were strange-looking monsters.

  The ten generals who were called «Feudal Lords» and the Knights and Sorcerers who trailed behind them, and the garrisoned army of 50,000 outside the city, were all [Units] given to Gabriel. From now on, he must appropriately utilize these pawns to annihilate the defenses of the Human World and capture «Alice».

  But, unlike real-time strategy games in the real world, these Units were not freely controllable with a mouse and keyboard. They must be led and ordered with presence and spoken word.

  Gabriel rose wordlessly from the throne, took a few steps forward, and turned to look into a mirror hung on the wall.

  What reflected was himself, wearing a look that was in slightly bad taste.

  Only the shape of his face and his extremely light brown hair were the same as Gabriel’s look in the real world. But, a black metal crown encrusted with a crimson crystal rested on his head; on top of a black suede undershirt and pants, he wore a luxurious midnight fur gown. A rapier gleaming with a dreamy phosphorescence hung from his waist, and his boots and gloves were weaved with silver embroidery. On his back, he wore a blood red long cape.

  Turning his eyes to the right, a step below the throne, he saw a Knight with both hands behind his head, frantically looking around.

  Inside a suit of armor gleaming deep purple like a gemstone was Vassago Cazares, who had logged in at the same time as Gabriel. Although he had already been told not to speak without restraint before the situation is in control , he still resisted expressing his impress with slangs with a difficult expression, clanking around in his shoes.

  Gabriel shook his head slightly, and pulled his eyes back to himself in the mirror.

  He was used to tailor-made suits, so this attire felt very uncomfortable anyway. But, in this «Underworld», Gabriel was not the CTO of a private military company.

  He was the emperor who ruled the boundless Dark Territory.

  Also — he was a god.

  Gabriel closed his eyes, took a slow, deep breath, and exhaled.

  Somewhere i
n his consciousness, the role he was playing as switched from the [Tough Commander] to a [Merciless Emperor] with a click.

  Opening his eyes again, as he turned, tossing back his crimson cape, Gabriel — Vector, the God of Darkness, glared at the ten Generals and said with an absolutely inhuman tone that resounded in the Throne Room:

  “Lift your heads and report your names. —You go first.”

  The kneeling middle-aged man at the left of the frontmost line jerked up with an unexpectedly quick motion and reported his name in fluent Japanese.

  “Y, y-yes, Your Majesty! I am Lengil Gira Scobo, head of the Commerce and Industry Guild!”

  Besides the man who lowered his head and prostrated again, an enormous figure as large as a small mountain began to move.

  On the body of a Demihuman that stood nearly 12 feet tall, glossy black chains were hung in a cross, with the skins of some wild beast wrapped around its waist. Vigorously raising its face along with its weirdly long nose, the Demihuman introduced itself with a deep voice, so low that it sounded like the ground was shaking:

  “Elder of the Giants, Sigrosig.”

  While Gabriel was having difficulty in swallowing the fact that this monster had intelligence and a soul, the third man let out an annoying, hoarse sound:

  “…Leader of the Assassin Guild… Fer Za…”

  When compared to the Giant, the figure in hooded robe was so skinny that it seemed insubstantial; its age cannot be determined, let alone its gender.

  Although Gabriel wanted for a split second to order it to raise its head so he could see its face, he considered that Assassins must have some rule that forbid them to expose their appearances, so he put that aside and turned towards the next general.

  Then, with great effort, he managed to hold back a frown.

  The existence that was the absolute embodiment of “ugly” sat motionlessly in front of him. It was unable to kneel as its legs were too short. A chubby, rotund stomach filled with fat gave off an oily luster; on a neck that was combined with shoulders dangled skulls of small animals.

  The head on top looked 70% pig and 30% human. With a protruding, flat nose, and a mouth with visible teeth, only its small, beady eyes flashed with human intellect, making this even more disturbing.

  “Elder of the Orcs, Rilpirin.”

  Hearing this high and sharp voice, Gabriel immediately wondered whether it was male or female, but instantly abandoned this thought. Since it was an Orc, it would definitely be a low-level Unit in the army. Just something disposable.

  Then, what could be described as a boy raised his head and energetically saluted. His reddish golden hair was curled, and he wore only a leather belt on his sun-tanned copper-colored upper body. Putting skintight leather pants and sandals on the lower body, and both hands clad in punching gloves decorated with metallic square nails.

  “Tenth Generation Champion of the Fighter’s Guild, Iskhan!!”

  Gabriel looked at the youngster who shouted full of energy, and thought for a moment. A fist fighter is a boxer, isn’t he? A soldier for empty-handed combat?

  As he was thinking, there suddenly came the “grrrh” moan of a beast.

  The one who suddenly raised its head was a Demihuman who was not as tall and muscular as a giant, but possessed a body far from that of a human. Its upper body was nearly completely covered with long hairs. Judging by its completely beast-like head, those hairs weren’t clothing, but its own fur.

  It looked a lot like a wolf. A protruding snout, saw-like teeth, and triangular ears. An incoherent noise leaked from its mouth, from which hung a long tongue:

  “Gurr… Elder… of the Ogres… Furgur…. Rrr…”

  Although Gabriel didn’t know whether that was a name or mere mumbling, he nodded lightly and looked towards the next position.

  Just then came an earsplitting shrill squeak:

  “I am Hagasi, Elder of the Mountain Goblins! Your Majesty, please grant our brave race the honorable position of the vanguard!!”

  The owner of the voice was a short Demihuman with a monkey-like bald head with two thin, long, protruding ears. No matter if it was by height or muscle mass, it was far, far off from the Giant, Orc, Ogre, or even Human who had previously reported their names.

  According to the explanation that Critter had provided before they Dived in, in this Dark Territory, there was only one rule. That was, [power dominates all]. If so, what power did the Goblins have in order to be promoted to a position comparable to other races while they seemed weak no matter how he looked at it?

  No matter what, although it was the lowest-level Unit, lower even than Orcs, Gabriel looked at the Mountain Goblin’s face with slight interest, and nodded lightly to himself as a sign of successfully answering his own question: it was because of the extreme, intense lust swirling in the Mountain Goblin’s small eyes.

  Just as the Elder of the Mountain Goblin finished his sentence, the Demihuman besides him who differed only in skin color shrieked in the same way:

  “That’s ridiculous! Compared to those guys, we’ll serve Your Majesty ten times more effectively! I am the Elder of the Plains Goblins, Kuberi!”

  “What the hell are you saying, you slug-eater? Has your brain swelled up because of the wet mud!?”

  “You’re the one who dried up your noodles in the sun!!”

  In front of the two cursing shrilly at each other—

  Pachi! Blue sparks flew forth as the Goblin leaders jumped out of the way, shrieking.

  “—-You two are in the presence of His Majesty the Emperor!”

  With a flirtatious voice, a young female wrapped in clothing that exposed much of her skin retracted her raised right hand. The sparks faded away as soon as she rubbed her thumb on her index finger, as though igniting a lighter flame.

  She slowly stood up, bowed as though she was flaunting her full body and coquettish looks and saluted exaggeratedly. To Gabriel’s right, Vassago whistled softly, as if he couldn’t help it.

  Her mocha-colored skin gleamed as if it had been brushed with oil; her chest and waist were covered only with enamel leather. Her boots were needle-like high-heeled boots. On her back hung a fur mantle shining black and silver. Long platinum blonde hair hung below her waist.

  Her eye-shadow and lipstick were the color of water; seductively narrowing her light blue eyes brighter than her makeup, the woman reported her name:

  “Leader of the Dark Sorcerer Guild, D.I.L. I have 3,000 Sorcerers under my command, and my body and soul all belong to Your Majesty.”

  To these flirtatious movements and tempting voice, Gabriel, who had never been controlled by sexual desire, merely nodded.

  The Witch called D blinked a few times, as though she wanted to say something else, but only saluted and kneeled again.

  A wise decision, Gabriel thought, and turned his eyes onto the last general Unit.

  The silently genuflecting figure here was a Human, but a middle-aged man of surprising size.