Chapter 0121: Crossing Over
Five minutes before YGGDRASIL's server shutdown.
"Whew—"
Hayashi rubbed his face with both hands, double-checking his preparations.
"Hisako's luck blessing—check!"
"Ho-Oh's blessing—check!"
"Burning incense, bathing, and washing hands three times before logging in—check!"
"And secretly placing a small order at Momonga's company, specifically requesting Suzuki Satoru to handle it, forcing him to work overtime tonight—check!"
Thinking this, he clenched his fist firmly and declared, "All preparations complete—just awaiting the east wind!"
Hisako poked Hayashi's side from beside him, dealing zero damage, and said, "Young master, should we follow Momonga's example and gather the main NPCs to await the crossing?"
Erina's eyes sparkled as she said, "Hayashi, let's do it! I want to see those NPCs come to life the moment it happens!"
"Hmm—"
Hayashi glanced at the Holy Knight Heathcliff beside him and remarked, "By the way, why are you still using this ID? And why did you sculpt your face to be so handsome—tsk, men!"
Flowing silver hair, healthy wheat-colored skin, and a face so handsome it could make women scream—this was Kayaba Akihiko now, no, rather, Heathcliff!
To put it bluntly, if he dressed a little flashy and took a stroll around Ginza, at least ten wealthy women would politely inquire about his rates—and even promise not to use the "happy balls" on him!
Wait, no—even without going to Ginza, just walking around town in his silver-white Crusader armor, at least ten noble ladies would bat their lashes and wave handkerchiefs at him.
"Character creation is part of the game. Don't like it? Don't play." Pretty Boy Heathcliff—eight-pack abs, Adonis belt—looked calmly at Hayashi and said, "If I can sculpt myself like this, that's my skill. Got a problem with that?"
"Nope, I'm just curious. Did you specifically give yourself eight-pack abs and this thick, wild silver hair... because you used to be a programmer with just a potbelly and a receding hairline?"
"Not speaking wouldn't diminish your image in my eyes."
"What image?"
"You sure you want me to say it?"
"Never mind. I'm afraid my fragile heart couldn't handle your venomous critique."
"Heh."
Truly, people are shaped by their environment! Once so reticent, Kayaba Akihiko, after enduring a year of Hayashi's verbal harassment, had honed his sarcasm to the point where his words could deal damage.
Real damage.
"Young master, you're not doing so well now—" Hisako teased with mischief in her voice, "To think you'd let Mr. Kayaba gain the upper hand! This isn't like you at all!"
"I'm just giving him some face after his hard work this past year!" Hayashi retorted, hands on his hips and full of righteous indignation. "Otherwise, I'd definitely engage him in a fierce battle of wits!"
Hisako covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. "A fierce battle of wits...?"
Hayashi: "?"
Is it me who's off, or is it you, Hisako!?
Just as Hayashi was glaring daggers at Hisako, Erina suddenly spoke up: "Hurry, hurry! Hayashi, use the guild leader privileges to summon the NPCs—it's almost time!"
Hayashi glanced at the upper right corner of his vision, where the clock read 11:57:37. That meant there were less than two minutes left before the transition!
Without delay, he activated his guild leader privileges and summoned all the guild guardians to the Throne Room.
...
...
Time: 00:00:01
With a strange sensation, the five of them instantly felt a certain "restriction" that had been weighing on them vanish without a trace.
"Testing, testing—"
Hayashi scrunched up his face, then turned to Erina and stuck out his tongue. "Bleh—"
"That's hideous—" Erina wrinkled her nose in mock disgust. "No making faces!"
Hayashi chuckled and stepped forward, wrapping his arms around Erina affectionately. "Ah, finally! I can hold you like this—in the game, it always felt like hugging a rock! The interaction mechanics in this trashy game are so poorly done!"
"Indeed," remarked Heathcliff, who had already successfully reincarnated, flexing his limbs. "This world is clearly more advanced than mine, yet the game content is so inferior."
Seriously, in SAO, you could kiss, hug, and even lift each other up—heck, maybe even do the stuff from Volume 16.5. But in this highly developed future society, they couldn't even manage that. How embarrassing.
Hayashi waved it off dismissively. "Alright, alright, it's not that big a deal—Kayle, Morgana!"
"At your service—"
A stunning blonde woman clad in golden armor stepped forward, accompanied by an equally striking raven-haired beauty in black robes, her near-identical twin.
'Guardian Angel Kayle and Guardian Demon Morgana,' Hayashi thought, recalling the backstory he and Erina had crafted for these two NPCs.
"You will now lead the angel and demon patrols to scout the area around the Sky Castle—remember to conceal your presence and avoid detection."
"Understood—" x2
The two bowed in unison before turning and leaving the grand hall.
"Wow, the Supreme One is so domineering!"
As the sisters exited the hall, a high-pitched, lisping voice exclaimed beside Hayashi.
Startled, Hayashi turned to see a petite girl with pink hair, green eyes, and a long lizard tail standing beside him, grinning mischievously.
'The Sky Castle's mascot, Neeko.' Hayashi sighed and pinched her cheek. "Little one, don't suddenly pop up like that. You scared me!"
"Ehehe, the Supreme One got spooked!"
Neeko covered her mouth, giggling as a green glow enveloped her. In an instant, she transformed from a 150cm-tall loli into a 180cm-tall silver-haired, armor-clad hunk—none other than Heathcliff.
"I am the sacred… ugh… so hard to say! Neeko can't do it!" She tried mimicking Heathcliff's grandiose introduction but quickly gave up, her lisp making it impossible.
"Hahaha—"
Hayashi burst into laughter, glancing at Heathcliff and teasing, "I never knew your face could make such expressive expressions."
Heathcliff twitched his lips and glared at Hayashi, trying to silence him with his eyes.
Naturally, he failed.
"Neeko, don't play around with the Supreme One's appearance!" A golden-haired beauty with nine swaying fox tails wagged a finger sternly. "Or Big Sister Ahri will spank you!"
'The Nine-Tailed Fox, Ahri—Second Floor Guardian.' Hayashi recalled her profile and chuckled. "Ahri, I'll leave this little troublemaker to you."
"Ahri accepts the mission!" She curtsied cutely before grabbing Neeko by the collar. "Little Neeko, you're in my hands now—"
"Wahh—"
Neeko wailed, hanging her head. "Neeko got caught!"
Watching the adorable Neeko, Erina, Hisako, and Yunyun couldn't help but coo, "Kawaii!"—who could resist a lisping cutie?
"Alright, guardians—" Hayashi addressed the dozen or so core guardians before him. "Let's wait for Kayle and Morgana to report back on the surroundings. The Sky Castle has somehow ended up in another world due to unknown circumstances. We need to figure out where we are."
"Understood—"
The floor guardians knelt on one knee, pledging their loyalty to the Supreme One.
"Dismissed." Hayashi waved them off. Once the room was empty, he turned to Erina and winked. "So, how does it feel seeing the guardians in the flesh?"
Hisako clasped her hands, moved. "It's… an indescribable joy—like the first time I cooked a perfect dish!"
Erina nodded eagerly. "I get it! That feeling when your hard work pays off, right?"
Hisako: "Mhm!"
Yunyun bobbed her head too. Though she hadn't helped design the guardian NPCs, she'd personally crafted five catgirls for the Sky Castle's maid corps—Chocolate and Vanilla (mixed breed), Maple (American Curl), Cinnamon (Scottish Fold), Azuki (Munchkin), and Coconut (Maine Coon). Seeing the lively catgirls gave her the same sense of accomplishment.
As they basked in the moment, Heathcliff's dry voice cut in. "You all worked so hard, huh?"
"Cough cough—"
Who could rival Heathcliff, the ultimate grinder? Over 70% of the Sky Castle was his handiwork. This man was the definition of an international workaholic (tactical lean back.).
While Hayashi awkwardly endured Heathcliff's death glare, a telepathic message reached them.
"Supreme One—" Kayle's voice echoed. "The Sky Castle is currently hovering above a plain with only a small village nearby. No hostile forces capable of threatening us have been detected. Requesting permission to return."
"Huh?" The trio exchanged glances before exclaiming in unison, "We actually succeeded!?"