Persona: HEAVEN (Persona/Sword Art Online/Isekai Multicross)

<KOBAYASHI: We're in for an interesting fight: a user of Dual Blades up against the magician Cayna! Some of you viewers have sent in some information— evidently, Cayna is well known amongst minmaxers for having the largest recorded skill list in all of ALO! What kind of amazing Skills will we see in action here?>

<ENDO: Anything's possible on the sands of the coliseum!>

A four-pointed star, a light framed by a magic sigil, an artificial sun— the trademark of SEED VRMMOs, the only element in common between the worlds of fantasy. It blasts heat over the whole of Alfheim Online, but it seems particularly harsh within this arena.

"þeír. Eld. Ormr!"

Probably because Cayna was turning the floor into lava.

You gonna keep letting her cast magic!? Shut her down! Rip her brain out!

"You've got an interesting way of recruiting people," she says to you amidst the chaos. Turns out she was studying you during your fight with Rain - pegging you as a melee fighter. The first thing she did the moment the gong sounded; before you even had a chance to respond, was to cast some manner of earth and fire spell directly at your feet.

"I like meeting people face to face, I find it's better than just posting on a forum. And I haven't heard a no yet!" You shout, jumping away from the initial burst of fire. You weren't here to win, just buy time. A new grand quest, a hidden path up to the «World Tree», an opportunity of a lifetime. Now you needed to just survive long to hear her response.

Taking to the air, you've managed to dodge the initial explosion of sand and brimstone, slagged glass raining down at your previous location. You see the magic snake its way through the arena, spitting out pockets of magma wherever it touches. It's not hard to guess what her plan is—she's trying to limit your mobility and force you into the air. A damn battlefield control mage, not exactly the type of opponent that SAO favored.

"I can't speak for my whole guild, but we're not interested in getting involved in faction politics," says Cayna, finishing her spell channeling.

"No PVP, this is a hidden quest, a challenge! Another version of the «Grand Quest», another path up the «World Tree»! And I'm not wasting it by giving it to a fairy lord," you reply, carefully eyeing your foe. This wasn't going to work, the longer the fight went on the more Cayna would overwhelm you with large-scale attacks— you needed to fight where you were strong and she was weak.

You remember the announcers praising her skill with a staff, one you don't even see equipped on her now, so you'll have to hope she's poorly optimized to deal with a swordfighter. You will your wings forward, twin blades held out to slice into your foe, ignoring the stray sparks of flame that pepper your skin.

Fight damn it! You want to win!

"þú. Vatn. Sfljót!"

A sphere of water rises from Cayna's hands, compressing into a thin point. Some kind of laser, or other pinpoint magic attack? With a burst of speed, you dash toward her, hoping to catch her off guard and enter melee range. As you pass above her, however, the sphere detonates. Instantly, you're thrown backward, vision spinning, and you crash heavily on your backside against the burning ground.

"Hmm..." she says, approaching your prone form. "Let's say I'm interested. Why the «Sleeping Knights»?"

You look up to find Cayna standing over you, smiling, a ball of lightning held out in her hand. She begins to chant, the words coming from deep inside her throat. The flash of thunder flickers upon her fingertips.

"Gah!" you cry, intercepting the ball lightning with Sigurd's iron sword. Durability now finally stretched to the limit, it shatters, sending shards of pixels flying everywhere and knocking you to the ground.

Time was running out, you needed a more concrete plan to assault the «World Tree» and soon. Messing with factional politics this late into the scenario was too risky. A powerful independent guild... most MMOs were filled with them, players banding together to pursue victory, exploration, community... whatever motivated them. But in ALO even that common element was an anomaly, the factions serving to systemize what would normally be informal gatherings of friends. This one guild may be the only opportunity you'll get to recruit high level players.

You needed to take the right approach. Stop thinking of this like SAO, or even like the real world... and start thinking of ALO as it should be: a video game.

You duck underneath a gust of wind, scrambling to put distance between the two of you. You couldn't win without getting close but you weren't trying to win. "You don't need to make it so complicated. You seem interesting... and strong. Perfect for the pick-up group I'm looking for. I kinda stumbled onto the quest by accident, and I don't have enough people to run it. So just consider this an invitation to do some PVE stuff together, and if things go well maybe we can team up in the future."

Cayna raises an eyebrow. "Just like that? No strings attached?"

You nod, slowly standing back up. "Just a temporary alliance."

Cayna chuckles. "Well... I'll admit you've caught my curiosity. Let me run it by my guild first, but we should exchange contact information..." she says, and raises her finger. Her vambrace extends forward, the decorative bracelet unfolding to reveal a glimmering magic longbow. "...after I win."

"Ek. Blár. Hvíta. Nótt!"
A frigid energy crackles at the tip, an arrow of pure ice manifesting in her hands. She pulls back her arm and a blue icicle materializes in her hand, the newly formed projectile settling into the bowstring of pure magic.

You sigh, relieved. You only came to this tournament to try to secure some extra aid, and that goal was already accomplished.
That's it!? We're just gonna let this floozy walk all over us!?

What's the point of winning this tournament? It's just prestige, bragging rights, and attention we don't need! The «World Tree» is the goal here, there's no time to waste on pointless fighting, especially against a potential ally.

You have to weigh the costs and benefits. You had a skeleton of a plan, and the dominoes needed to line up - you still had to figure out if Ragnarok was even possible and meet Thrym. Sigurd had his own plan, maybe there was more information to be mined in the real world... so many things...

Why don't you realize it yet? Why do I have to be the one to point this out to you!?
The arrow careens through the air, the blue light illuminating the sands. Its target—you.

"Ngh!" You scream, placing Weizen in the way of the projectile. The weapon is instantly encased, crusted with rime from tip to hilt, and sheathed in a solid block of ice. Almost instantly its weight is doubled, and the cold wraps around your body slowing your reactions. Your body shivers violently for several moments before finally stopping.

Why did you block? You've completed your goal. This fight is pointless, there's nothing to gain.

You grab your lone sword with both hands, desperately trying to wrench free the ice. Time freezes in place. In the distance, you see Cayna raise her bow again, another arrow of ice drawn back.

Just get hit. Better yet surrender...

You grit your teeth and begin to pull at the ice, desperate to get the sword free. The ice spreads up your hands and you abandon your struggle to duck at the last minute— an arrow whizzes past, and you hear the sound of ice crashing against the stone coliseum walls.

You really want to just end it here? You want to be a loser!?

This wasn't going to last. You needed another weapon... Caliburn perhaps? You could then break off the ice, intercept the next shot, and use the opportunity to escape. But that was an item designed to mimic Excalibur, it would immediately paint a target on your back, and besides, there's no point in winning. Just surrender. Just...

You watch helplessly as a final ice arrow streaks toward you. You can feel the cold seeping into your skin.

You close your eyes, ready to bow out of the tournament.

...

Can you just... let it end like this? Your Shadow wasn't entirely incorrect— victory could have certain advantages. Showing off to a crowd would garner some unwanted attention, but the reputation as the strongest player in ALO? You could use that to recruit players, to scare enemies, even impress the «Sleeping Knights».

Wouldn't the best way to recruit a bunch of achievement hunting hardcore players be to show that you can stand on their level, that you had something to offer them beyond just a quest opportunity? Sometimes your Shadow had the right idea... maybe you should try a bit harder, maybe try to strengthen your avatar with your Persona without using any blatant powers...

No.

...what's your problem now!? I'm considering your plan, aren't I?

No, you don't get it. Why are you so blind!? I just said that shit so you could rationalize it, it's the only way to get you to act! That's your problem! It's why you're so miserable! It's why I'm the real you!

This again!? You're the Shadow— a perversion of the soul. You're just leftovers, fragments of trauma, a product of MAXWELL!

I AM THE TRUE SELF. I know what I want! Do you?

I want to recruit allies, I want to save those trapped on the «World Tree», I want to help Gwen....

Wrong, wrong, WRONG!

Don't you dare claim to know how I feel!

I know because I am you! For once... stop thinking. Stop rationalizing! Stop weighing everything! And stop lying to yourself! What do you want!? Right here, right now!?

You... you want strong allies. You want this to succeed, you want to end SAO once and for all. You want...

...

YOU WANT TO WIN.

...

<ENDO: And contestant Lux pulls off a last minute deflection! This is why you always carry an extra weapon in your inventory folks, especially useful if you're a melee fighter. But Cayna has been controlling the pace of the entire encounter, Lux unable to wait— that golden weapon... it can't be...>

<KOBAYASHI: You... you're kidding. Is that...>

<EXCALIBUR!?>

The crowd is silent. Cayna looks upon your blade with wild eyed amazement.

She's seen it before. Everyone's seen it before. Plastered on advertisements, discussed on forums and rumors: the fabled strongest weapon in all of ALO. «Excalibur», ALO's greatest weapon. A sword of the gods, capable of severing the «World Tree» itself. An invincible weapon of legend, a sword with the soul of the world inscribed upon it.

But that's not what you drew. In your hands lies «Fake Sword Caliburn», a facsimile, a bluff. Trash whose only claim to fame was looking like the true «Excalibur». A sword made not to cut or win, but simply just to look good.

It's a myth. It's a fairy tale. A fake. Like you.

It's perfect.

"Sorry to make you wait, Cayna. I think it's about time I stopped holding back," you feel your Shadow settle into your mind, your soul manifesting as a cloud upon your back, golden blade shining below the artificial sun of ALO.

With a flourish you snap the ice off Weizen, glistening gold and silver blades flashing in the sunlight and reflecting off your eyes. The crowd gasps. Then roars your name.

PUNISHER! PUNISHER! PUNISHER!

<ENDO: Excalibur, the greatest weapon in all of ALO, here, in this arena! Can Cayna survive even a single blow from such a weapon?>

<KOBAYASHI: We're about to find out! Don't forget, Cayna has yet to take a single hit!>

It's dizzying. The cheers of the crowd, chanting your name, and for once you're not even embarrassed. Thousands of players across ALO, probably more streaming in from other games or the real world... all cheering you on. A fake player. A fake sword.

But so what? If there was any world where lies could become reality... it was this one.

"T... that's quite the trump card," says Cayna, suddenly rather apprehensive. She withdraws into her white cloak, bow still raised in your direction.

"You like it? That alternate «Grand Quest» I told you about? It's got weapons like this," you brag, holding up Caliburn for the crowd to see. Even now the air around it shimmers, a glimmering haze of pure magic coating the edge of the weapon. Even if you know it's fake, just holding the jeweled hilt fills you with strength.

"Hmph. That's hardly impressive, I've got plenty of rare weapons myself..." Cayna smirks, but her expression quickly changes to shock.

You rocket forth, speed augmented by the power of your Persona. A spirit of the sea turned to air, and your wings cut through the distance between you and Cayna in a heartbeat. Your blades flash, cutting through the air with blinding speed.

"Wha—?!"

You slice through the air, leaving a trail of light as you aim at Cayna's torso. Weizen slices through her white cloak, but Cayna manages to escape the tip of your blade. For the first time in the fight, Cayna looks worried.

Caliburn swings forward next, a deathblow aiming straight at her neck.

"Is that all you've got?" you taunt, and she responds by raising her bow. She tries to block with her weapon, but a shockwave reverberates throughout the arena the moment your weapons make contact. With the sound of shattered glass Caliburn smashes straight through, the ornate metal bow breaking into fragments under the force of your strike.

Did... your fake weapon just destroy a high level player's item?

Cayna's eyes widen, recoiling away from your golden blade. "My rare item... in one blow?" she asks, her voice trembling. You can't tell if it's fear or excitement.

"Yup. And it's not over yet." You charge forward again, leading with Weizen. She's too slow and your blade tip catches Cayna straight in the chest.

"Ahh!" Cayna cries, falling backward. Her hands fly outward, a golden quarterstaff manifesting in her hands. She skids against the sands, the momentum of your strike sending her bouncing off the ground. For the first time this whole fight Cayna deploys her wings, righting herself in midair moments before striking the edge of the arena.

"Want to give up? I'm done playing around Cayna."

"No way!" Cayna laughs, pointing her staff at you. "I'll show you the strength of the «Sleeping Knights». I've got a fight with Yuuki to get to and you're in my way!" Her voice echoes throughout the stadium. The crowd is on their feet, cheering the two of you on.

"Uh-huh. And you think you can do that with your little pogo stick? I'll shatter it in one blow with my «Excalibur»."

She pauses and glances at her staff, before frowning. "You may be right about that and I'd rather not lose the staff..." she says, her weapon disappearing into her robes. "I was hoping to save this for Yuuki but you're not the only one with a special weapon..."

More tricks up her sleeve?
With a flash of light and burst of power, a silver ring appears in Cayna's hands, encrusted with jewels of every element. From her hand it expands, encircling her waist with an aura of pure magical energy.

"This is my most precious possession, the magic circle of the Sleeping Knights: my «Silver Ring». It protects me from all attacks, and it grants me the power of all elements, making me virtually invincible... can you handle it?"

"You think your little hula hoop will let you win? Well, how about we test that theory right now?" You grin, brandishing your weapons.

<KOBAYASHI: And Cayna brings out a trump card as well! The «Silver Ring»... wasn't that an event item from last month?>

<ENDO: You're right! An ancient artifact tier weapon awarded to the player who mastered the highest number of spells, I didn't realize Cayna was the winner of that contest! As an automatic guardian item, it both protects casters and augments the power of their runic power words - truly a mage's best friend!>

You fly forward, unleashing a barrage of attacks. Cayna ring begins to spin around her waist, walls of magical force blocking each one. Her hands are locked in prayer, and a thousand words spin around her— she was charging a one shot magic spell.

"Allir. Kalla. Endalausa. þrumuveðri. Eldloga. Malarströnd..."

A wall of force erupts in front of you, forcing you back. A second later, another appears behind you. You dodge left and right, trying desperately to find an opening. But there's no escape. Your sword clangs uselessly against the shields, and you fall back. Elemental fury is building around Cayna, lightning, fire, water... every element in ALO is being summoned forth to overwhelm you.

"Good game Lux," Cayna brags, her chanting echoing across the battlefield. "But this fight ends now!"

The walls of force fall away, and the entire arena glows white. Lightning crackles through the air and a torrent of water rains down from the sky. Fire erupts from the ground and a hurricane whips through the arena. Cayna's voice guides them towards you, the forces of nature converging upon your position.

Cayna points her finger at you and shouts, "Heimskringla!"

And you return the favor.

"SYSTEM CALL! PERSONA!"


She appears once more, your original other self, the spirit of the sea lost upon shores of unrequited love. She cups her hands to her mouth, and the melody of the ocean fills the air.

There is no godmother, no angel to guide you. Only the witch of the sea, only the whispers of a devil.
For your happiness, for your prince, for your love...
A sacrifice was demanded. Eternal silence. A small price, you thought... oh how wrong you were...
The world grows silent. No cry escapes your lips. Never shall you say the words 'I love you'. Your song, replaced with nothing at all.


Cayna screams but no sound comes forth. Her spells, her Catastrophe, her Silver Ring—all lost to her. The forces she summoned have nowhere left to go. No voice to guide them, no spell to shape them into destroying you.

Instead it rebounds, detonating. Wind and Fire, Water and Lightning, Light and Darkness— the forces of nature, now unleashed and unbound. Over you, over the arena... and over Cayna, sitting at the epicenter of her own spell. The explosion washes over you, smashing your body into the burning sands. Your HP enters the red zone to the gasps of the crowd.

For a second nobody speaks, as if you had silenced the entire world instead of just one target.

You stand there, panting, staring at the aftermath of your disruption. The silence effect held, but it had the unexpected benefit of causing Cayna to lose control of her spell at the worst possible moment. The arena is in shambles, the ground cracked and broken. The spectators are stunned by the display of power. You look over at Cayna, who's nowhere to be found.

"Did I... win?" you mutter, taking a step forward. You were severely injured, knocked around by the force of the elemental explosion, but you were still standing. In front of you, the silver ring lies cracked, discarded at the side of the arena... and next to it, you see a floating green wisp.

Cayna's «Remain Light».

<ENDO: Did... you see that? Was that an effect of Excalibur!? Contestant Lux just used summoning magic and with no runic power words!>

<KOBAYASHI: Who knows what that weapon's capable of! Summoning Magic is an extremely rare branch of ALO magic, but usually balanced by very slow cast times. To see a player summon without any casting at all... why I'd dare say it's rather imbalanced!>

<ENDO: I'm not even sure what happened there. Contestant Cayna appeared to lose control of her spell the moment that summon appeared, some kind of mana disruption mob? It looked like a mermaid, but there are no monster designs I know of that match its appearance...>

<KOBAYASHI: Mystery after mystery. But do you know what's not a mystery? The WINNER of our Quarter Finals! Let's give it up for LUX the EDDDGGGEEE PUNISHEEEERRRR!>

"PUNISHER! PUNISHER! PUNISHER!!!!"

The crowd roars your title. They're cheering for you.

"Ehehehe... you got me good..." you hear from the remains of the arena. With a wisp of recovery magic Cayna rematerializes, courtesy of the tournament organizers.

"Good fight," you say, surprised to find yourself meaning it. It was the hardest you've ever fought in a battle that didn't have your life on the line.

Cayna only shakes her head, "No, you wiped the floor with me. What kind of Skill was that at the end? I know Summoning Magic myself but it's a bit too cumbersome to use in the middle of a duel."

"Let's just say it's... a secret! Maybe you'll learn more on my quest?"

Your former opponent laughs, "Well after that show, you can better believe I'm joining in. Don't you dare cut me out alright? I can tell that working with you is going to be loads of fun!"

...Fun.

Fighting seriously, using everything you have - your weapons, your skills, your Persona...

Huh. After SAO, after everything... when was the last time you just enjoyed yourself?

This tournament, these fights... nobody's life was on the line. No great conspiracy lay within these sands. Your goal of making contacts was already met. There was no point in continuing. No tangible benefit, there were other things you could be doing with your time... any rewards from winning the tournament would be nebulous at best.

But it doesn't matter.

You are here because you want to be.

You want to win.

You want to have fun.

Caliburn glistens beneath the artificial sun. You hold it up, high into the sky, its light reflecting across the entire arena. The crowd goes wild.

---

<ENDO: What a day, what a tournament! A round of applause for Leafa, a fine showing by the Sylph Warrior. Unfortunately she was unable to best the unassailable strength of Gram, making General Eugene our first finalist!>

<KOBAYASHI: Yeah, yeah, and Eugene executes another challenger, not like the outcome of the fight was in doubt. But now onto the good part! Two absolute newcomers, the unhittable, invincible absolute sword— Yuuki, here to get revenge for her guildmate! And in the other corner: the wielder of «Excalibur», your favorite new edgelord, it's LUX the EDGE PUNISHER!>

PUNISHER! PUNISHER! PUNISHER!

ZEKKEN! ZEKKEN! ZEKKEN!
The purple haired imp holds her obsidian blade out in front of her, a lazy smile contrasted with pink cheeks. The girl seems a bit embarrassed everytime the crowd shouts «Zekken», an epitaph she's earned in her short time playing ALO. She's dressed in a purple robe, secured to place by a leather chest plate, a mix of a European knight with a Japanese samurai. A getup that screamed swordswoman, a style that you belatedly recognize as evocative of SAO.

"Let's have a good match Yuuki. I'm not sure if Cayna told you, but I have an offer..."

"Nope, nope! We can talk after the fight! C'mon, let's do this!" She takes a few steps forward, bouncing on her feet, visibly eager to begin. If you had to guess she was pretty young, either that or good at acting the part. "You managed to beat Cayna even when she broke out all her tricks. I gotta see what you can do!"

She swings her blade around in circles, testing the weight of the weapon. "Fair warning. I'm going to come at you full force, right from the start! No holding back!" She raises her sword, ready to go.

"...Eager to find out how powerful «Excalibur» really is?," you reply, holding Caliburn aloft.

"Nah," the Imp teases. "A weapon's just a weapon. I want to see how strong you are."

Your opponent seems rather unimpressed with your sword. You ready both your weapons while also bracing your Persona for manifestation. If you wanted to win, you needed to summon forth all your strength. "Strength is strength, whether it comes from a weapon or a skill."

A gong sounds across the coliseum.

Yuuki smiles, looking you straight in the eye. You blink— and suddenly the only thing you see are the empty sands of the coliseum. No warning, no talk, just pure speed.

And then she's upon you, blade flashing diagonally downward; her right shoulder retracted into her torso, the sword arm coiled like an unfired bullet. You block the first strike, the force of the impact driving you back. Her first sword is occupied! You whirl around to counterattack with Caliburn— but there's nothing left to hit.

Below! You swing your sword horizontally, aiming for the Imp's neck with Weizen. Yuuki blocks, locking obsidian blade against silver. Again your left hand is free, Caliburn swinging down on her exposed shoulder. But before you can land a blow, Yuuki pushes off against Weizen, bouncing her one blade from silver to gold, deflecting Caliburn's attack.

She was doing more with one sword than you could manage with two.

You smash your boot into the sand, pushing off against the ground. The two of you separate, swords out at the ready. Blow for blow you doubt you could beat her, even with the support of your Persona, but you had more tricks up your sleeve than just hitting things.

"Yeah, yeah! Let's do this!" Yuuki says, taking a step forward. She's still grinning, but now she looks serious.

You need to consider your tools and come up with a plan. Nobody's invincible, you had a way to beat her, you simply needed—

Shit! Your opponent booms forward, leaving sand and wind in her wake. You scarcely have a moment to breathe before Yuuki is already upon you, all her force concentrated on a single point, a straight charge at blistering speeds. It lacked the glow and particle effects you were used to seeing, but you recognize the motion. The speed, the angle, the inhumanly fast charge— this wasn't just an attack. This was a «Sword Skill».

And it was coming right at you.


AN: Decided to just abstract the whole Cayna fight, since you made the Silence roll and shut down her build. I regret making an entire tournament arc into one single Major Action. =(
If you're like... one of the half dozen fans of Cayna's source material that happens to be reading this hyper niche quest in a hyper niche hobby... uh, sorry for making her job?