"Whew, I'm beat. Total defeat," Eugene said, revived and grinning at Kirito. "You're seriously strong. I've got a ways to go."
"You weren't half bad yourself," Kirito replied, extending his right hand.
"Let's do this again sometime," Eugene said, shaking Kirito's hand firmly.
Sakuya and Alicia joined in, eagerly trying to recruit Kirito. "Kirito, how about joining the Cait Siths? I'll guarantee great terms!" Alicia said.
"Hold on, Alicia," Sakuya interjected. "He's with Yukino's escort team. The Sylphs have first dibs."
"Uh, I've got a lot on my plate…" Kirito said, flustered.
"Come on, please!" Alicia pressed, leaning in close, her chest brushing Kirito's face.
"That's playing dirty, Alicia!" Sakuya exclaimed, mirroring her move on Kirito's other side.
Kirito squirmed, trying to break free, when a chilling voice cut through. "What exactly are you two doing to our dear friend?"
"Eek!" Alicia yelped.
"Y-Yukino…" Sakuya stammered.
They turned to see Yukino glaring coldly. The two quickly backed off, apologizing in unison. Yukino sighed, but Eugene spoke up. "You got us good this time, Yukino. Honestly, without you lot, we'd have won."
"Long time, General Eugene," Yukino replied. "You're probably right. Though, with just our original four and Leafa, we might not have turned the tide."
"True," Eugene said. "You've picked up some fierce allies since I last saw you."
"I didn't recruit them, but since we're here, I might as well make it official," Yukino said.
"Official?" Eugene asked.
"Yes. With representatives of four races here, it's the perfect moment," Yukino said, signaling Hachiman and Meguri with her eyes.
Hachiman and Meguri flew over. Meguri spoke first. "Sakuya, Alicia, Eugene—been a while!"
"Meguri-san?!" Sakuya gasped.
"Meguri, it's you!" Alicia exclaimed.
"The Undine lord too?" Eugene said, stunned. "No way…"
"That's what I mean by four races," Yukino said. "I'm declaring it now: we've stayed neutral until this moment, but that ends today. From this instant, we unite under Hachiman's banner."
"What?" Hachiman blinked.
"Yukino, for real?" Meguri asked.
"Absolutely," Yukino said. "We'll walk with him and follow his lead. Hachiman's the leader, Kirito's second-in-command, and I'm third or below."
"I'm stepping down as Undine lord to join Hachiman's team!" Meguri added.
The Sobu High group nodded, unsurprised—Meguri's decision felt natural to them. But the others were floored. "No way…" Sakuya muttered.
"They're that serious?" Alicia said.
"A faction crossing racial lines… this is huge," Eugene said.
The surrounding players buzzed with excitement. Hachiman scratched his head, feeling the weight of the moment. "Uh, guess that's how it is. Nice to work with you all."
Switching to a serious tone, he addressed Sakuya, Alicia, and Eugene. "I've got a proposal for you three race leaders. Can you at least hear me out?"
To Meguri, he added, "I didn't plan for the Undines, but could you listen too?"
"Sure, Hachiman!" Meguri said.
"I owe you for the save, so of course," Alicia said.
"Same here," Sakuya added.
"I'm the loser here," Eugene said. "You could order me to listen, and I'd comply."
"Orders aren't my style," Hachiman said. "Can you take it as a request?"
Eugene chuckled. "Fine, I accept your request."
With their agreement, Hachiman bowed and began. "Thanks. Our goal is to clear the Grand Quest."
"That's… kinda ordinary?" Alicia said.
"Specifically, we want to reach the innermost chamber of the World Tree's Grand Quest," Hachiman clarified. "The quest itself is probably unimplemented."
"What?" Eugene said.
"What do you mean?" Sakuya asked.
"Got any proof?" Alicia added.
Hachiman explained the flaws in the Grand Quest's design: only the first race to clear it could become Alfs, leaving others behind. "If one race clears it, the game ends for everyone else," he said. "Other races would decline and vanish. The whole racial system becomes meaningless, and there's no fun left beyond flying. For a game this popular, that's unthinkable, right?"
"Hmm," Eugene murmured.
"It's hard to buy, but it's not something we can ignore," Sakuya said.
"If another race beat us, I'd probably reroll," Alicia admitted.
"The moment the quest is cleared, the game collapses," Hachiman continued. "The devs wouldn't let that happen."
"I agree with you personally," Eugene said. "But even though we lost today, the Salamanders still outmatch the Sylph-Cait Sith coalition. Convincing my brother will be tough."
"What if the Undines joined?" Meguri interjected.
"A three-race coalition… that'd be a real threat," Eugene said. "No offense, Meguri, but you've been absent so long there's talk of replacing you. Rallying the Undines now would take time."
"True…" Meguri admitted.
"My brother would probably try to clear it solo in the meantime," Eugene said.
"Should we kidnap him?" Yukino said coolly.
"Hey, stop that, Yukino! You're joking, right?" Hachiman said, alarmed.
"Half-joking," Yukino replied. "Keep going, Hachiman."
"Half?!" Hachiman and Eugene exchanged relieved glances, chuckling nervously.
"First, I'd like to negotiate with Sakuya and Alicia," Hachiman said. "Will you join us in tackling the Grand Quest? We can offer funding—here's the amount."
He whispered a figure to them. "That much?!" Sakuya exclaimed.
"For real?" Alicia asked.
"Yup," Hachiman confirmed.
After a brief pause, they nodded. "The Sylphs will cooperate," Sakuya said.
"The Cait Siths are in too!" Alicia added.
"Thanks, both of you," Hachiman said, shaking their hands.
"Now, the Salamanders…" Hachiman said, looking at Eugene. "Tough sell, huh?"
"I'll talk to my brother," Eugene said. "But don't get your hopes up."
"Wait, Eugene-kun," Meguri said, tapping her interface. "Looks like the Undines have officially agreed to back Hachiman."
"Proof?" Eugene asked.
"I got a message just now," Meguri said. "They weren't sure they'd make it, but… look, there they come."
She pointed skyward. Lightning cracked, followed by a deafening roar and a barrage of thunderbolts. Everyone froze, awestruck.
"What the hell?" Hachiman said.
"Someone's up there," Alicia whispered.
"No way…" Sakuya breathed.
A figure descended, landing before Hachiman. "Ta-da! I'm Soleil!" she chirped, lunging for a hug.
Hachiman deftly blocked her, grabbing her head in an iron claw. "Who are you, and what's with the tackle?"
"Ugh, so mean! I came to help you, Hachiman!" Soleil pouted.
"You know me? You're not… Argo, right?" Hachiman said, testing the only missing ally's name. But her behavior didn't match Argo's at all.
Yukino, pressing her temple as if struck by realization, spoke up. "Hachiman, 'Soleil' means 'sun' in French."
"Sun? No way…" Hachiman said.
"Exactly," Yukino sighed. "I should've known when Meguri showed up. You're playing ALO too… big sister."
"Ugh!" Soleil gasped.
"What?!" Hachiman and the Sobu High group exclaimed.
Klein, Egyl, and Silica, apparently in the know, were stunned only by the lightning's power, not Soleil's arrival. Sakuya, Alicia, Eugene, and Leafa stood frozen, dumbfounded.
"As expected of Yukino-chan, sharp as ever," Soleil said, still in Hachiman's grip, striking a smug pose. "With me here, you're all set!"
--+--
T/N: Although I'm an inexperienced Editor, I do have a Patreon account! Although it seems like I don't have many supporters right now, my webnovel will be released in full every day, and the advanced chapters will be uploaded to Patreon.
It may not be worth it now, but who knows, it might be different in the future. Who knows!
patreon.com/Greyhounds
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