Chapter 21 Awakening (Continued)

6

The volume picks up right after Klein is stabbed in v17. Just as one of the red players is about to execute him, an injured Moonphase runs out and blocks the sword, saving Klein's life. He's in great pain from being stabbed by PoH because of the absence of Pain Absorption, despite the incapability of his Amusphere to simulate realistic pain. Moments ago, he had been curled up on the ground, suffering. He's constantly doubting what he and tens of thousands of other players had read on the internet, and then realizes that the Japanese players are attempting to protect something rather than destroy. He reflects on Siune's words about how they had all been tricked, and that the Japanese players were the rightful connectors.

He notices that after the Japanese players were crushed, with less than two hundred left, and that PoH hadn't declared victory; rather, he had singled out a player clothed in black, sitting in a wheelchair, and was shouting at him in Japanese. Moonphase finds this bizarre - what was a wheelchair doing in a VRMMO?

The young man clothed in black looks severely mentally damaged and unresponsive to PoH shouting at him. Then, when PoH kicks over the wheelchair, Moonphase gasps, and when the young man reaches towards the white sword, Moonphase realizes that the young man has lost his entire right arm. PoH begins to toy with the young man like a child, and at this point, one of the Japanese players, dressed like a warrior, screams and charges towards PoH, but is stabbed from behind twice.

Then PoH grins and orders the red players in Korean to kill him. Unable to withstand it anymore, Moonphase stands up despite his pain, draws his sword, and blocks the killing blow. Even though his impression of Japan is less than good based on history and exclusion, that did not apply for all Japanese people. Even though some Japanese players were frustrating in VRMMOs, there were also players he had a fun time with. Moonphase, now hating PoH, decides to trust Siune and the warrior player.

As Moonphase blocks the sword, the red player before him bellows at him in disbelief and rage, but Moonphase shouts back, asking him whether he finds this strange, since the war is over and continuing this kind of vendetta-like action makes no sense. He seemingly manages to sway some players, but from within the players comes a shout of "Traitor!" Just as they are about to kill Moonphase, some other red players begin to shout in support of Moonpahse, and an fierce argument begins amongst them. At this point, Moonphase turns towards the leader, wondering how he will resolve this situation, but he sees a strange expression on his face - not rage, but... amusement. PoH was trying not to laugh, and at this point, Moonphase realizes that he is shuddering. He realizes that PoH is a demon.

***

The novel begins to tell PoH's backstory.

Vassago Casals was born in the low-income district of Tenderloin, San Francisco. His mother was of Latin descent, and his father was of Japanese descent. The American Vital Records Office, issuant of birth certificates, forbids parents from naming their children "bad influence" names. So his mother names him not "Devil", not "Satan", but "Vassago". The Vital Records Office approves this name, not realizing that it means "Prince of Hell". His mother names him this because she hates her own son.

Vassago's mother had originally wanted to abort him, but had kept him under his father's orders. Yet his father had not accepted him either, only occasionally checking up on his health, never buying him any gifts. The only thing he did give him was his knowledge of Japanese. Vassago only learns this when he turns 15.

Vassago's father has a child in the paternal side of the family with a failed organ, who needs a donor. Vassago is unable to decline, but he has one condition - he wants to be able to live in Japan, his father's homeland. After the donation surgery, Vassago loses his worth to his father, and with no more guaranteed supply of money from him, Vassago can only resort to a life of selling drugs in the low-income district. It would be better to leave America and restart his life.

His father accepts. Trading his left kidney for a passport and plane ticket, Vassago leaves for Japan without saying goodbye to his mother. But awaiting him there is an even harsher fate. The Japanese government has harsh legislation against international adoptions and have set up complicated paperwork and strict screenings. Even if an adoption is successful, a child above the age of 6 cannot be granted a residency permit. Fluent in English, Spanish, and Japanese, Vassago is taken in by a Korean criminal organization, who distributes him a counterfeit ID and raises him as an assassin.

Five years pass and he turns 20. Having completed nine "jobs", Vassago's tenth mission is unlike all others. His target was someone whom he had to kill in a virtual world, untouchable in the real world. Vassago is confused upon receiving this assignment, but realizes what it means upon learning of the "SAO Incident" a few days ago. His target is being closely watched within his own home and will not ever come out. Even if his target is in a death game, there's no telling whether he will die. The only choice is to enter the death game on his own and clear the target's HP, thus killing him with the NerveGear.

But there are still three serious problems. First: Vassago will be unable to log out until the game is cleared. Second, death in the game means death in real life, and Vassago can't let himself become the target. Third, if player actions are logged inside the game, his assassination will be recorded as evidence. With the mission being tremendously difficult, the organization has provided a large sum as reward. Even though Vassago knows that he may not get the reward even if he completes the mission, he does not have the right to refuse.

Unused NerveGears have nearly all been confiscated by police, but the organization manages to finagle one through various circumstances. Vassago is temporarily mired by the character name creation process, but after considering the reason his mother named him the way he is, he chooses “PoH”.

His first experience of a virtual world changes - or releases - Vassago’s entire personality. The Japanese players surrounding him bring up old memories of his father and his family, and he finally realizes just how much he hates them - all East Asians. He needs to kill his target, but while he’s here, he needs to kill as many players as possible. With this determination, Vassago founds the largest murder guild in SAO, <Laughing Coffin>. Other than his target’s life, he claims the lives of a great many players. As the group grows, Vassago begins to hate his position as the leader, and orchestrates a clash with the Progressors to destroy it. Just as he was about to kill his highest-value prey, the <Flash> and the <Black Swordsman>, the game is cleared.

The first thing that Vassago feels upon returning to the real world is not joy but despair. He knows that he is unable to return to that dreamlike world, and decides to return to America in search of the same experience. Vassago eliminates the leader of the Korean group who comes to give him the money, then takes it and returns to America, and joins cyber-operations division of a private military contractor in San Diego. Through VR combat training, Vassago flexes his skills honed in SAO and is promoted to instructor. But he is unsatisfied. He must return to that world - even just once. That world that exposes real human nature. Under Vassago's wishes, him meeting both the <Flash> and the <Black Swordsman> can be called not a miracle, but destiny.

Although the Black Swordsman is unconscious, he'll definitely wake up when Vassago kills everyone around him. Vassago - PoH is more mesmerized with him than anyone else. First, he drags Underworld into bloody chaos by pulling the Chinese and Koreans into the mix. He doesn't know how long his lie can last, and since people are beginning to suspect, patriotic fervor has risen. A spark can ignite it all. Slightly further away, one of the Black Swordsman's comrades is being restrained by a Korean. If PoH gives the order to kill them all, the patriots would do it with ease.

As PoH looks at the Black Swordsman's face, he realizes that he looks a bit similar to his brother from another mother whom he had seen before his kidney donation surgery, and his heart stabs for a second. He needs to kill the Black Swordsman and the Flash in this world here, force them to log out, then log out himself. Then he'll find them in the Ocean Turtle and relish killing them for real. The mere thought of it makes the pain subside, and deciding to kill everyone, Vassago draws the Mate Chopper and steps away from Kirito.

***

Lying on the ground, Asuna looks up at PoH, who is walking towards her. She realizes that he is planning to light this battlefield ablaze once more, just like he had the battlefield between Laughing Coffin and the Progressors. PoH orders Moonphase to be restrained, and just before he executes him, he raises his voice again and incites the players around him. Overcome with rage, Asuna tries to move, not wanting to see them die. To stop the massacre. She needs to do something...

But she can't move.

Just as she closes her eyes, listening to PoH drawing closer, Asuna hears a voice, telling her that everything is all right. Everything is fine. She can stand up. And her hand moves, and grabs Radiant Light. She looks up, and just as PoH is about to execute her, Asuna concentrates all her strength, stands up, screams, and activates a basic Sword Skill she has used tens of thousands of times, <Linear>.

PoH dodges it with terrifying speed, but not before Asuna manages to lop off a lick of his hair and graze the side of his face. Seizing the gap in her movements, PoH stabs towards her, but Asuna concentrates her imagination towards PoH's feet, and generates a small impediment there. PoH trips and his blade tears into Asuna's skirt. PoH swings his cleaver again and Asuna parries it, and their blades clash. As they press against each other, Asuna demands exactly why PoH hates Kirito so much. PoH replies that he in fact *loves* Kirito, as he was the only person PoH could trust beyond a doubt in that death game filled with bastards. Kirito never corrupted, and when he becomes like this in a place without PoH, he can't stand it. PoH wants him to wake up, and for that he can kill anyone.

At this moment, Asuna wants to retort, but she realizes that Mate Chopper is wriggling like a live animal, and increasing in size. PoH realizes this too, and he sneers at her. He explains that he knows about Sacred Spatial Energy, in that the blood spilled in this world is used as power. Mate Chopper has claimed countless lives, and grows stronger with each one. As he speaks, the cleaver is growing continuously, and Asuna's GM-level Radiant Light begins to whine under the stress.

While he seems to grow, PoH declares his intention to begin killing all of the Artificial Fluctlights in the world, including the residents of the Dark Territory. And then the Black Swordsman might wake up. Asuna catches a glimpse of PoH's eyes and realizes how much he seems like a demon. PoH informs her that once Kirito wakes up, Asuna has his permission to die - by his hand.

Radiant Light begins to crack. Asuna drops to her right knee, but just then - a slender hand supports Asuna's back, and white wings sprout from her back. She hears her friends screaming encouragement from afar: Lisbeth, Silica, Agil, and Klein. Not just them - all of the players from ALO, the residents of the Underworld, the Integrity Knights, the army...

White light pours from her body and Asuna forces PoH back. She pulls back the sword in her right hand, and the entire world is dyed purple. Asuna activates the skill taught to her by <Zekken> - the 11-hit combo OSS, <Mother's Rosario>, piercing PoH's chest. He is thrown high into the air and lands far away. Asuna drops to one knee again and thanks Yuuki in her heart. Mother's Rosario should not be usable within Underworld, and her Super Account should not know it. Yet it had worked.

At this point, PoH should no longer be alive. Asuna wants to rush to Kirito, but first she wants to remove the swords from Klein's body and treat him. Then, she realizes that something is moving. Not PoH - but Mate Chopper. It is exuding a blood red, pitch black aura, and everything seems to be sucked into it in a vortex. Sortiliena realizes that it is absorbing Sacred Energy, and Asuna rushes over to destroy it, but too late - as if being dragged by his floating weapon, PoH stands up. His poncho has been torn to shreds in his front, and a hole has opened in his chest.

PoH is using an STL, so he should be feeling excruciating pain like the real world. Asuna had nearly lost consciousness from a spear piercing her own chest, and cannot imagine what it must feel like to have a hole pierced through her chest. But the god of death sneers at her, and shouts to the entire battlefield about how this is the true nature of Japanese, and to kill all traitors and every last Japanese. It's in Korean, so Asuna can't understand, but she knows what he means. Then, the Chinese and Korean players raise their swords, and attack the Underworld people. Asuna is no longer able to stop them - she is trampled underfoot. Looking up, she realizes that Kirito is reaching out towards her. She reaches back, waiting for her final moment.

7

The narrative switches to Kirito in the classroom. He walks outside and notices students talking happily. He rejects their happiness and listens to music instead.

He begins thinking about the hot new game Sword Art Online, which hasn't even released yet - it's still in closed beta, and servers officially open a month later. He stops by a convenience store and picks out a gaming magazine with a special feature on SAO, then charges some money into his special MMO-use electronic wallet.

Upon exiting the store, Kirito spots five fellow students sitting in a corner of the parking lot. They're the bad crowd. But then one of them looks at him - a short boy whom he recognizes as a fellow beta tester of SAO during summer vacation. Kirito had struck up a good relationship with him during the test, but once he started school again, he becomes socially awkward and unable to become friends with other people. Even with his own family. His ex-friend had wanted to keep in contact with him during the official launch of SAO in October, but eventually discovers Kirito's weird attitude and leaves him. They've never spoken since. So why was he hanging around with the bad crowd?

Another kid turns towards Kirito and demands what he is looking at, and Kirito is about to suggest taking his ex-friend with him and walking him home, but for some reason, he replies "Nothing". He abandons his ex-friend and quickly returns home.