📖 Chapter 17 – The Last Gamble
1. Collapse of the System Core
The sky of Aincrad shattered.
Glitches tore across the digital heavens like cracks in glass.
At the apex of the fused anchor's body, the Lord God Transmigrator tore open the system core—an enormous cube of radiant code, the beating heart of Aincrad's existence.
Lord God Transmigrator (screaming, hysterical):
"If I can't win, then no one will! Let all of Aincrad collapse, and the souls will be mine in the implosion!"
All around, players froze in terror as chunks of floating castle began disintegrating into black void. The rules of the death game began to flicker. HP bars glitched. Reality twisted.
2. Raphael's Prediction
Neo staggered, staring in horror. But Raphael's voice cut through like steel.
Raphael (serene, commanding):
Notice: Prediction subroutine already calculated this contingency.
Neo (shocked): "Wait—you knew?"
Raphael (with sharp composure):
Affirmative. Probability of Transmigrator triggering Collapse was 87.4%. Preparations have been made. Your soul has now reached the threshold for dual evolution: Demon Lord Harvest Festival and Hero's Awakening.
Zhongli (awe in his voice): "Both paths… at once? That should be impossible."
Raphael (voice firm, almost proud):
Incorrect. Impossible for others, but calculated as viable for you. Commencing evolution.
3. Dual Awakening
The world seemed to halt. Neo's body ignited with two clashing, yet harmonizing forces:
• Darkness and hunger of a Demon Lord, drawn from the souls of corrupt NPCs and monsters purified during the battle.
• Light and justice of a True Hero, fueled by his will to protect Kirito, Asuna, and the countless innocents trapped in Aincrad.
The two forces roared, threatening to annihilate him—until Harmony, his earlier skill, bridged them.
System Voice (blaring):
Unique Skill: Purity → Evolved into Ultimate Skill: Holy Lord Metatron.
Unique Skill: Hope → Evolved into Ultimate Skill: Celestial Seraphim.
Unique Skill: Pride → Evolved into Ultimate Skill: Overlord Lucifer.
Unique Skill: Gluttony (stabilized) → Evolved into Ultimate Skill: Beelzebuth, Lord of Gluttony.
4. Raphael's Merging Protocol
Raphael (clinical, almost excited):
Initiating skill merger protocol. Observe the results of perfection.
• Holy Lord Metatron + Celestial Seraphim → Ultimate Skill: Radiant King Michael (supreme authority over light, healing, and divine justice).
• Overlord Lucifer + Beelzebuth → Ultimate Skill: Abyssal King Samael (dominion over darkness, consumption, and absolute sovereignty).
• Harmony + Sovereign Will → Ultimate Skill: Equilibrium God Sophia (balance of extremes, stabilizer of chaos, mediator of paradoxes).
Neo collapsed to one knee, energy ripping through him, his form flickering between angelic wings and demonic horns before stabilizing into something new, radiant and terrifying.
5. The Impossible Being
The players around gasped. Kirito and Asuna shielded their eyes from the radiance.
• To mortals, Neo looked like both savior and devil.
• To the corrupted abominations, his aura was annihilation incarnate.
• To the Transmigrator—he was terror made flesh.
Lord God Transmigrator (stumbling back, voice trembling):
"That… that's not possible… You can't be both… you can't!!"
Raphael (calm, sharp, and slightly scornful):
Correction: He is both. Demon Lord and True Hero. Predator and Protector. The paradox you failed to account for.
6. Neo's Resolution
Neo rose, his voice echoing with two harmonized tones—one light, one dark.
Neo: "I was afraid of this power before… afraid of losing myself. But now I understand. I don't need to choose between hunger and hope. I am both—and that balance is exactly what makes me who I am."
His aura burst outward, stabilizing the collapsing floors. Glitches dissolved under Radiant King Michael's light. The anchor's corruption melted under Abyssal King Samael's abyssal authority. And the entire battlefield calmed as Equilibrium God Sophia overrode the implosion sequence.
7. The Last Push
Raphael's voice cut across the group, still in hive-mind sync.
Raphael (commanding, with restrained wrath):
All units, advance. Transmigrator termination is now mathematically inevitable.
Under Raphael's perfect guidance and Neo's overwhelming new presence, the entire raid surged forward.
• Kirito and Asuna struck as living avatars of Neo's light.
• Zhongli's shields became indestructible pillars under Sophia's balance.
• Kiana's shots carried Samael's abyssal fire.
• Himeko's blade burned with Michael's cleansing radiance.
And Neo himself—clad in both celestial armor and abyssal flame—charged straight at the Transmigrator, the fusion of Demon Lord and Hero incarnate.
8. The Transmigrator's Despair
The villain screamed, clutching the system core as it melted under Sophia's stabilizing authority.
Lord God Transmigrator (voice breaking, weeping with rage):
"No… no! I was supposed to be the one to transcend! Not you! Not a freak like you!!"
Neo raised his hand, light and darkness coiling in harmony.
Neo (calm, resolute):
"You wanted souls for your ascension. Instead, you'll serve as the proof that both sides of me can coexist… and that together, we're stronger than your twisted hunger ever was."
[To Be Continued – Chapter 18: Ascension and Judgment]
📖 Chapter 18 – Execution & Judgment
1. Neo's Final Form
The battlefield was still burning from the fusion anchors' collapse. Neo floated above the fractured arena, radiating two impossible auras:
• Radiant King Michael – wings of blazing light, a halo forged of hope and purity.
• Abyssal King Samael – shadowed horns, abyssal fire dripping from his clawed hand.
• Stabilized and bound by Equilibrium God Sophia, who made light and dark exist in seamless balance.
Kirito (shielding Asuna with his arm): "…This isn't just power. He became the balance itself."
Asuna (whispering, breathless): "It feels divine… and terrifying at the same time."
2. Raphael's Tactical Clarity
Raphael (with cold finality):
Execution sequence prepared. Recommend immediate neutralization. Probability of counterattack <0.01%.
Zhongli (low, almost reverent): "He is no longer merely a participant in this war. He has become judgment itself."
3. The Transmigrator's Desperation
The Lord God Transmigrator writhed at the center of the broken system core. His form was no longer human—glitches had stretched him into a writhing mess of half-coded divinity.
Transmigrator (screaming):
"I should have ascended! This world was mine to devour! I won't accept this freak—this… paradox!!"
4. The Judgment Unleashed
Neo raised one hand, Michael's divine flame in his palm.
With the other, Samael's abyss opened wide, ready to consume.
Neo (calm, voice resonating in two tones):
"You harvested souls for greed. I'll release them for justice."
• Radiant King Michael: Absolute Verdict → Wings of light expanded into spears of divine flame, piercing the corrupted code holding thousands of trapped souls.
• Abyssal King Samael: Abyss Devour → A black void swallowed the Transmigrator's fragmented essence, ensuring he could never reform.
The two powers collided in perfect harmony—light purifying, darkness consuming—and the Lord God Transmigrator was unmade in a single instant, his shriek silenced in the abyss.
The collapsing fragments of Aincrad stabilized under Sophia's equilibrium, the floating castle groaning but refusing to shatter.
5. Liberation of the Souls
All around, translucent lights rose—souls of fallen players freed from the Transmigrator's grasp.
They ascended, scattering like stars into the digital sky.
Players fell to their knees in awe. Many wept.
Kirito clasped Asuna's hand tighter, silently thanking Neo.
6. Raphael's Revelation
As the battlefield quieted, Raphael spoke again—not with her usual clinical neutrality, but with something almost… urgent.
Raphael (serious, calm):
Notice: Dual evolution successful. However, incomplete stabilization detected.
Neo (startled): "Incomplete? I thought Sophia balanced it all…"
Raphael (clarifying):
Balance achieved. But your body lacks a critical essence to maintain harmony long-term. Specifically—the Dragon Factor. Without it, dual-path stability will erode, leading to collapse of soul integrity.
Kiana (alarmed): "Wait—you mean… he could just unravel?!"
Raphael (unshaken):
Correct. Time until instability reaches critical threshold: unknown. Solution: acquire a Dragon Factor. Ideal specimen: True Dragon-class existence.
7. Foreshadowing Tensura
Zhongli frowned deeply.
Zhongli: "A dragon's essence… In Teyvat, dragons are ancient primordials. But Neo would need more than a mere elemental wyrm. He would need something akin to… a sovereign dragon."
Neo clenched his fists, thinking of the story he once told the group—of Rimuru Tempest, the slime who devoured his friend Veldora to free him from control.
Neo (low, resolved): "So it comes full circle. Just like Rimuru… I'll need to find a dragon, not to enslave, but to anchor myself. To survive."
Raphael (affirmative):
Correct. Without it, your dual ascension cannot remain stable. Directive: locate and acquire Dragon Factor in subsequent worlds.
8. Closing of the Arc
The castle grew still. Players began cheering in waves, realizing the nightmare was over—for now.
But Neo stood apart, staring at his hands that glowed with both holy fire and abyssal dark.
Neo (whispering, to himself): "How much longer can I balance this? Raphael says dragon… but dragons aren't just beasts. They're beings like gods. If I fail to earn it…"
His voice trailed, but Raphael's calm tone filled the silence.
Raphael (quietly, almost gentle):
You will not fail. You have me, and you have them. Calculation of success rises with every bond you preserve.
Neo allowed himself a faint smile—though deep inside, fear still lingered.
The war in Aincrad was over.
But the path to becoming something stable—something truly whole—had only begun.
[End of Arc 1: Aincrad Collapse]
[To Be Continued – Arc 2: The Dragon Factor]
📖 Chapter 19 – Epilogue of Arc 1
1. Celebration in Aincrad
The battlefield that once housed corrupted anchors was now lit by warm torches and the laughter of survivors.
• Klein roasted meat over a fire with exaggerated bravado, finally tasting food without the shadow of death overhead.
• Asuna leaned against Kirito, the two of them quietly absorbing the freedom they had fought for.
• Players sat in circles, telling stories, swearing oaths of friendship, and some breaking down in tears for the first time in months.
The miracle of survival pulsed through every soul.
Asuna (to Neo, softly): "We'll never forget this. Not just because you saved us… but because you gave us back hope."
Kirito (with a rare seriousness): "You carried a burden that could've broken anyone else. We owe you everything."
Neo only nodded, but behind his calm face, Raphael's warning about the unstable evolution gnawed at him.
2. Group Chat Sync
The [Dimensional Group Chat] interface unfolded across the night sky like a second aurora, shimmering above the fires.
[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]
• Mission Complete.
• Primary Objective Achieved: Transmigrator eliminated.
• Secondary Objective Achieved: Aincrad stabilized. Kirito/Asuna survived.
• Final Soul Harvest Prevented.
Rewards Distributed:
• 20,000 Group Points (boosted from 10,000 due to difficulty escalation).
• Guaranteed Legendary-tier Gacha Draw (×1 per member).
• Special Recognition: Neo (MVP).
• Bonus: All group members now receive Tensura-world Skill Integration — their powers will manifest as Skills, allowing natural evolution through the Tensura system.
3. The Cancelled Mission
A new alert scrolled in, red-lined and heavy.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
• Planned mission: Purge 10,000 corrupt souls → CANCELLED.
• Reason: Neo's Dual Evolution destabilized mission parameters. Mission rank exceeded current group assignment thresholds.
• Compensation: Rewards boosted. Group-wide Tensura system integration granted.
• Adjustment: Neo flagged as anomaly—future stabilization mission assigned.
The chat fell silent.
Kiana (groaning): "Ehhh?! I was already ready to beat up those corrupt politicians!"
Theresa (folding arms, relieved): "Impossible missions are better left unassigned. You would've burned out."
Zhongli (grave): "If even the system withdrew the mission, then the path was more perilous than any of us imagined."
4. Neo's Solo Mission
The last notification was unlike the others. Its frame glowed with golden draconic patterns, radiating weight.
[SPECIAL DIRECTIVE: Neo]
• Status: Dual Evolution unstable.
• Requirement: Acquire Dragon Factor to stabilize soul structure.
• Assigned Solo Mission: Tensura World (Pre-Canon Timeline).
• World Status: Before official story events. Veldanava, Creator God, is still alive.
• Objective: Establish connection with Dragon Factor (via recognition, blessing, or consumption).
• Warning: Veldanava is the progenitor of True Dragons, a being closest to Boundless. Even his avatars are near-omnipotent.
• Failure Condition: Soul collapse (erasure).
Neo's eyes widened at the words. Before canon. That meant stepping into a time when the world was still raw and unshaped, with Veldanava himself active. The scale of this task was beyond comprehension.
Neo (whisper, shaken): "…I'm supposed to stand before the one who created the world?"
Raphael (serene, absolute):
Correct. Your dual evolution has placed you on a path where stability requires resonance with a Dragon Factor. Veldanava is the most optimal source. Calculation: survival probability—27%.
Neo clenched his fists. "That's even lower than before…"
5. Farewell in Aincrad
As the celebration roared on, Neo slipped back toward the campfire where Kirito and Asuna sat together.
Neo (quietly): "I'll be leaving soon. My mission doesn't end here."
Asuna (worried): "You're not coming with the others?"
Neo: "No. Where I'm going… isn't a place you'd survive. But you two—make sure this peace isn't wasted."
Kirito's eyes narrowed, sensing the unspoken weight.
Kirito: "…Then at least promise us you'll survive. I don't care if it's another world. Come back alive."
Neo gave a small, almost pained smile. "I'll try."
6. Parting Vision
The [Group Recall] activated, golden threads wrapping around everyone.
• Kiana waved frantically at Asuna, demanding she take care of Kirito.
• Theresa clasped her hands, whispering a quiet prayer for Neo's survival.
• Zhongli bowed to the SAO players, leaving them with a final, solemn respect.
As the others dissolved into light, Neo lingered a moment longer.
Neo (thought): "Judgment… harvest… now creation. Raphael, if I falter before Veldanava—"
Raphael (firmly interrupting):
You will not. I will ensure optimal pathways. Your will, combined with mine, is enough. Together, we shall surpass probability.
The last of Aincrad faded away, and with it, Neo's old battlefield.
The next trial awaited—a world where gods still walked, and the fate of dragons was not yet sealed.
[END OF ARC 1 – Aincrad Collapse]
[NEXT: ARC 2 – Tensura: The Dragon's Trial]
📖 Chapter 20 – Prologue of Arc 2: The Dragon's Trial
1. Group Chat Intermission
The familiar [Dimensional Group Chat] flickered to life, showing the avatars of its members gathered once more in a glowing, ethereal space.
This time, however, the air buzzed differently. Everyone could feel it. Their bodies carried a subtle shift—like something woven into their very souls.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
• Integration complete: All members now follow Tensura's Skill System.
• Abilities recalibrated into Skills, Unique Skills, or Evolvable Traits.
• Evolution potential unlocked.
Kiana (bouncing on her heels): "Ooohhh! Check this out, check this out! I have a new skill window!"
[Unique Skill: Herrscher Core] — grants manifestation of her Herrscher powers as evolvable energy-based attacks, with sub-skills branching toward control and amplification.
Theresa (peering into her panel, eyes widening): "I… I have something too."
[Unique Skill: Valkyrie's Aegis] — protection and reinforcement ability, stabilizing allies' soul energy, with potential growth toward Authority-class defense.
Zhongli (smiling faintly, ever composed): "So the group has synchronized us with Neo's system. Fascinating."
[Unique Skill: Stone Sovereign] — manipulation of earth and protective barriers, infused with resonance akin to Geo's essence.
Kiana gasped, pointing. "So we're basically, like, mini-Rimurus now?!"
Neo (flatly, rubbing his temple): "Don't throw my name in with Rimuru yet. I haven't even met him."
Raphael (calm insertion):
Correction. Subject Neo has not met Rimuru Tempest within this timeline. However, future synchronization remains statistically probable.
Kiana blinked, then whispered: "...She's always listening, huh?"
2. Power Reflections
The group began experimenting.
• Kiana summoned a blazing core of energy, then panicked when it nearly exploded before dispersing into harmless sparks.
• Theresa closed her eyes, projecting an aura that soothed the faint "skill turbulence" in everyone's systems.
• Zhongli calmly tested his stone spears, watching them shimmer with new layers of density.
Zhongli (to Neo, pointed): "This power… is not without burden. I suspect our evolution carries paths as perilous as your own."
Neo (grim): "Yeah. This isn't just a gift—it's the system preparing us for worse."
The group quieted. Because deep down, they all knew: worse was coming.
3. Solo Directive Reminder
The intermission ended with the chat projecting a final, golden-threaded message aimed solely at Neo.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Neo's Solo Mission Active]
• World: Tensura (Pre-Canon).
• Status: Veldanava alive.
• Objective: Acquire Dragon Factor.
• Condition: Stabilize dual evolution.
• Failure: Soul Collapse.
The others fell silent.
Kiana (voice cracking): "You're really going alone…? After everything?"
Theresa (gently): "Neo… don't let fear trick you into thinking you're weak. You're stronger than you believe."
Zhongli (solemnly, bowing his head): "When you stand before the Creator God, remember this: pride without arrogance, humility without weakness. That balance will define you."
Neo didn't reply. His fists were tight, his gaze lowered.
Neo (whispered in private chat):
"…What if I lose myself again? What if I like the hunger too much?"
Raphael (firm, yet soft):
If deviation occurs, I will correct you. That is my role. That is my promise.
4. Transition
The golden threads began to unravel Neo's form, pulling him out of the group chat.
Kiana lunged forward instinctively, but her hand passed through the holographic interface.
Kiana (shouting): "You better come back, Neo!"
Theresa clasped her hands again. Zhongli only watched, silent but resolute.
As Neo's body dissolved into pure light, Raphael's voice echoed in his mind like a vow:
"Next destination: A world where the first threads of creation still shine. Tensura… the era of Veldanava."
And with that, Neo was gone.
✨ End of Chapter 20 – Prologue of Arc 2 ✨