📖 Chapter 7 – The Transmigrator Strikes
1. Rapid Climb
Nine days of relentless assault. Nine days of steel, magic, and strategy.
By the time Neo and his strike teams reached Floor 55, the Aincrad raid alliance had changed beyond recognition. Veterans drilled squads with military precision. Even green players now fought in formation.
The death toll—under 5%. Miraculous compared to the death game's original history.
Asuna leaned against a stone pillar, catching her breath as healers tended to the wounded. "We've done in days what took the originals months…"
Kirito's grin was tired but proud. "At this rate, we'll reach Floor 100 before the month is up."
Neo's eyes narrowed. "And that's exactly why he'll move now."
2. Warped Reality
The warning came as soon as they stepped into Floor 56's corridor.
Stone twisted like molten wax, reshaping itself into grotesque spires. The walls bled with pulsing red veins of data corruption. NPC villagers in the safe zone stumbled out, eyes glowing, bodies jerking like broken marionettes.
Kiana's pistol blades were up in an instant. "Oh hell no—that's not normal Aincrad coding."
Himeko cursed under her breath. "Figures the bastard wouldn't just sit still."
The corrupted NPCs screamed—a sound half-human, half-static—and lunged.
Neo's black thunder carved a line through them. But even as they fell, their bodies dissolved into ash-like motes that spiraled upward, toward the tower's unseen heights. Souls siphoned.
System Prompt [Dimensional Mission Alert]:
⚠️ The transmigrator has begun harvesting. Floor 56–60 are now corrupted zones.
⚠️ Monsters and NPCs within will no longer respawn normally. Each death fuels the transmigrator's ascension.
⏳ Time Remaining: 18 Days (World Time).
☠️ Failure Condition Threshold: 9% deaths reached.
The group froze at the update.
Zhongli's expression turned grave. "The tempo accelerates. He seeks to force us into attrition."
Kiana spat. "Figures. Can't beat us straight, so he cheats."
Kirito's fists clenched. "That means every death from here on… it's permanent."
3. Group Chat Check
The chat pinged alive as they pushed into a cleared chamber.
[Dimensional Group Chat – Private War Room]
• Theresa: "You've reached Floor 55 in record time. But you've triggered his counterstrike earlier than expected."
• Neo: "How much time do we realistically have left?"
• System Notice: "18 days remain. Probability of success has dropped to 62%."
• Himeko: "Tch. I've fought worse odds drunk."
• Zhongli: "We will require a tighter division of forces. Half to secure players below, half to push upward."
• Kiana: "Guess which half I'm in. Frontline, baby."
• Theresa: "Be careful, all of you. The transmigrator may start pulling from other worlds to reinforce himself. Expect… surprises."
Neo exhaled slowly, feeling the hunger in his chest stir at the corrupted souls he had just consumed in battle. It tasted different—thicker, bitter, and more addictive.
Neo (whisper to himself): "…Damn it. This is what he wants."
4. Planning the Counter
Later, in the temporary raid command tent, maps of the warped floors spread across the table, Neo tapped his finger on the corrupted zones.
"Floor 56–60 are compromised. If we rush straight through, we bleed manpower. If we stall, he harvests more souls. We need split strike teams—small, surgical, fast."
Kirito frowned. "That spreads us thin."
Neo's eyes flicked up, glowing faintly in the dim light. "It also minimizes casualties. And keeps him guessing."
Asuna leaned forward. "Then I'll lead the vanguard with you. If Kirito and I anchor the core, the other players will follow."
Zhongli nodded. "Then allow me to guard the rear lines. The corrupted data reeks of instability. Someone must keep the foundation intact."
The firelight flickered against Neo's unreadable face. He looked at them all—these allies from worlds never meant to cross—and felt both the weight of leadership and the gnawing hunger inside him.
"Then it's decided. We strike tomorrow."
Outside, the corrupted sky of Floor 56 pulsed with a crimson glow, like the heartbeat of something waiting, watching.
To Be Continued…
📖 Chapter 8 – The Battle Through Corrupted Floors
1. Division of Forces
The climb to Floor 55 had been fast, efficient, and almost miraculous. Neo stood with his group at the teleport gate, reviewing the countdown timer hanging in the corner of his interface.
[Time Remaining: 21 days]
It was more than half, but with the transmigrator twisting Aincrad's rules, each passing day felt heavier.
Group Chat – Live Feed
• Himeko: "We've been too lucky so far. Floors cleared in hours when it should've been days."
• Zhongli: "Luck is rarely without price. The opposition will gather weight as we ascend."
• Kiana: "Tch, bring it on! We'll just punch through."
• Neo:[calmly] "Not unless we divide properly. Each floor is being rewritten. The transmigrator is laying traps."
Neo then opened a glowing system panel.
Mission Split (Temporary):
• Team Vanguard: Neo, Kirito, Kiana → Direct boss raids.
• Team Shield: Zhongli, Asuna, Himeko → Defend players from corrupted NPCs and escort survivors.
Everyone synced to their assignments. The map flickered—Floor 56 was no longer the peaceful green plains it once had been.
2. Floor 56 – Vanguard's Trial
The gates opened into a twisted battlefield. The lush meadows had rotted into tar pits, and the boss room was swarming with Corrupted Knights—mocking replicas of fallen SAO players, their armor blackened, their eyes hollow.
"...they look like ghosts," Kirito muttered, clenching his blade.
"Not ghosts," Neo corrected, his eyes narrowing as Great Sage chimed in.
Great Sage: «Detected: Soul residue. These constructs are forged from harvested fragments. Caution advised.»
The corrupted knights charged. Neo raised his hand, channeling one of his newly unlocked powers:
Skill Unlocked:Purity – Cleansing Light
• Generates a purifying aura that erodes corruption without harming innocent souls.
Brilliant azure-white light spread, burning away the tar-like corruption and freeing faint echoes of trapped souls. Kirito and Kiana capitalized on the opening, striking with flawless timing.
"Nice save, Neo!" Kiana shouted, grinning through sweat.
Neo only nodded, though inwardly, he felt the strange hum of Purity. It wasn't destructive—it was healing. It contrasted starkly with the devouring hunger of his demonic skills.
3. Team Shield – Floor 57 Collapse
Meanwhile, Zhongli's team faced a city overrun by corrupted NPCs, villagers turned into hostile wraiths.
"Do not cut them down carelessly," Zhongli warned, his polearm striking the ground and summoning a golden shield dome. "These are programmed lives. Their souls may yet be harvested if slain wrong."
Himeko snarled, cleaving a corrupted knight in half. "Then how the hell do we fight?"
Asuna, panting, pointed at her interface. "System's flagging Neo's Purity... it's syncing through the network. If we stall long enough, his aura will spread here too."
They fought defensively, Zhongli's shields absorbing swarms, Asuna directing survivors to safety, and Himeko holding the line with sheer ferocity.
4. Floor 58 – Players' Resolve
this floor fell to Aincrad's own players—those Neo and the others had been mentoring. A coalition of guilds took charge, inspired by Kirito's leadership and Asuna's reputation.
The floor boss—a Corrupted Hydra—nearly wiped them out in the first wave. But Neo's Hope skill pulsed across the group chat, resonating through their avatars.
Skill Unlocked:Hope – Resonant Flame
• Channels determination into allies, amplifying their abilities temporarily.
• Manifested as golden fire that burns without consuming.
Even far from Neo's position, the players felt it. Guild banners shone brighter, swords swung heavier, and voices rose louder. What should've been a massacre became a hard-fought victory.
For the first time, the players of Aincrad weren't just surviving—they were winning.
5. Neo's Revelation – Between Demon Lord and Hero
As the floors cleared, Neo slumped briefly against a wall, hand over his chest. The golden flames still lingered in his palm.
Great Sage: «Unique Skills Purity and Hope confirmed. Integration with Tensura lineage detected. Potential: Evolutionary class balance between Demon Lord and Hero.»
Neo exhaled slowly, his thoughts private in the group chat whisper.
• Neo [Whisper]: "I don't know if I'm supposed to be a Demon Lord, harvesting souls, or a Hero, protecting them. The truth? I'm scared. If I keep diving into this hunger, I might lose myself."
The chat stayed silent for a beat, until Zhongli's calm voice whispered back.
• Zhongli [Whisper]: "Fear is proof you still carry your humanity. That alone sets you apart from the monsters you fight."
6. Cliffhanger – The Transmigrator's First Move
As the teams regrouped, the sky above Aincrad shifted. The blue heavens shattered like glass, revealing crimson cracks.
A mocking voice boomed across the floors.
"You insects think you can cleanse my garden? Then face despair!"
The corrupted sky began to bleed shadow, and multiple corrupted boss monsters—beasts from other worlds—materialized across multiple floors simultaneously.
The group chat flared alive:
• Zhongli: "So… the true battle begins."
• Himeko: "Tch, about damn time."
• Kirito: "Multiple bosses at once… this is impossible—!"
• Neo:[cold smile] "No. It's our counterattack."
[To Be Continued – Chapter 9: The Counterstrike Begins]