Persona: HEAVEN (Persona/Sword Art Online/Isekai Multicross)
I can definitely understand that view, but the way I chose to interpret what happened there (from a Watsonian perspective) was that Hiyori tried to push too far on her character arc by basically jumping right to "self-sacrificing ideal hero" and her Shadow jumped in with the objection and called her out on it - pointing out that such an attempt was, fundamentally, no different from the person she used to be and was allegedly trying to move on from: just another lie.
I can see a reaction to being pulled back there to pick the "both paths" option - I really can. But I don't think it's contradictory for her to reflect on it, affirm that that still is her goal (at least to some extent, I don't know that it necessarily means she actually does - or even truly wants - to go the extremes of self-sacrificial. I still feel there's a tempered "middle ground" where she realizes with her Shadow's help that she can accept herself without going so far) Basically, she stumbled and her Shadow was there to keep her from falling.
It's actually the mention that the "both paths" option leads to her soul fracturing that keeps me from wanting to vote that option - I might even slightly favor it absent that information - but the fact that it is explicitly portrayed as reversing, at least in part, her decision to unify from before leads me to think I'm missing some nuances in the choices here and that that is the "wrong" decision (in terms of what I would like to see. I don't think there's an objective wrong answer on this vote.) I didn't see - and don't want to see - this being Hiyori backpedaling on her decision. She overreached, yes, and I feel her Shadow intervening there and forcing her to do this self-reflection is a suitable consequence but I don't want her to repudiate her earlier decision simply because she made a misstep. People make missteps all the time. And Hiyori's internal turmoil is enough that it manifested a Shadow - it makes sense to me that she doesn't just effortlessly walk the right path on these kinds of matters. She'll continue to mess up in the future probably but I don't want her to say that means her goal was a mistake. At least not yet, certainly.
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BritishGrenadier
Summon The Elector Counts!
- Location
- Nova Scotia Halifax
Yeah having the soul Fractured considering the fact we just managed to fix it a little in a previous vote makes me not want to take one foot forward and then two steps back
[X] You... won't be that person anymore. Never again.
Ferb_Ancos
The one under the table
- Pronouns
- He
"A "filler" character, madafucka. What do you think of this plot twist, huh?"
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"Haven't you heard? I'm The Edge Punisher."
- Location
- The Sea of Souls
Gonna just go ahead and close it. I missed an update date cause work's kicking my ass and the vote isn't close, so I'm not gonna carry this through to the next update.
05/20: Hollow Realization [FOOL Rank 1]
- Location
- The Sea of Souls
You can't talk. Your mouth cannot open, and the ruler of the virtual world does not permit you to speak.
"I expected someone else here. But you? I don't know you." His right hand swipes in the air, a signal that's been burned into your brain over the course of nearly two and a half years. Left hand in ALO, but the right hand in SAO, the nearly universal SEED gesture that represented a main menu.
"No need to spoil the surprise. I'll simply look you up."
Kayaba Akihiko. Here, in the heart of the SEED. He looks just like he did in the magazines, standing in a characteristic labcoat and sliding his fingers across an invisible menu. A man who prefers to understand others through summaries on a screen rather than face-to-face conversation.
"Let's see... ah, I understand. You were a player in my game. Hmm... mid-level, zero participation in floor boss raids. Notable accomplishments... nothing except a flag in the MHCP priority list for 'immediate intervention'. It appears you had a rough time of it."
What do you even say to the man who ruined your life for two years and doesn't even have the courtesy to remember who you are? Thousands of dead, the greatest individual mass slaughter in modern history, and yet this man walks free.
Why did he trap you? Why did they have to die? Why did Kayaba steal two years of your life?
"Member of... «Laughing Coffin» but with no recorded kills to her account. Let's see... Persona?" He shrugs. "I suppose that's somewhat unusual. You are not who I envisioned standing opposed to me. I wonder how you ended up here, in ALO? Hmm, nevermind, it's hardly any of my business."
He turns, dismissing you. Eyes glued to some screen he can only see, reading your history like it was an interesting newspaper. You want to scream, but the paralysis prevents you from doing anything but staring forward and gritting your teeth. But you won't sit here and let him ignore you. You need it. You need answers.
"S... system..."
The invisible bindings that were paralyzing you slacken. Kayaba raises a single brow but continues to stand over you, and he looks down at you with only faint interest.
"C... call..."
That causes him to pause. He leans in, suddenly regaining his focus.
"P.... persona..."
A burst of mist emanates as Undine responds to your call. Your body dissolves into sea foam for the briefest of moments, and you reform with blades drawn. He needs to be punished, he needs to be stopped!
You need to KILL HIM!
You lunge forward, «Excalibur» aimed at his throat. He stands there passively, hands in his pockets and head tilted to the side. He speaks the words, and the world shifts beneath your feet.
The virtual world itself rises to defend its master, the lines of black and red that surround the world of the SEED curving to form a shield... no, some manner of creature? It's indistinct, hazy, but it's enough. You strike at him but a glowing red and black mound erupts from the ground itself, covering him with a strange barrier that reminds you of a four-legged animal. He stands impassively as your strike bounces off the wall harmlessly.
You try again but it's a wasted effort. Kayaba simply tilts his head further and your weapon bounces off the wall once again. You stab and slash, the mound reforming to match the speed of your blows. But you cannot strike him. You leap back and invoke the force of the flood. He doesn't flinch as you unleash your most powerful magic, he barely acknowledges the torrent of water that crashes against the translucent red and black wall.
"A Persona. I wondered how the real world would respond, what agents would they send against me. But... you? I'm disappointed. You're nobody. Would the sea of souls send someone so... worthless?"
You throw every attack you can at Kayaba, yet he remains calm and unmoving. Your magic rebounds ineffectively. Your blade is powerless to cut him. You want to scream. You have a thousand questions and more, all fighting to be asked first. But you only manage to choke out one.
"Why?"
He stares at you behind his wall. You stare back.
"...if I had to put it succinctly..."
His expression doesn't change. He may as well be describing the weather report.
"It's to save mankind."
...
Kayaba Akihiko was the man holding the hand of every murder in SAO. He was the man piloting every monster. Every suicide, every trauma, everything was this man's fault! And he's right here, right in front of you! You struggle to reach him, punching and kicking against the wall with all your strength, but to no avail. "YOU KILLED THOUSANDS! YOU TOOK TWO YEARS OF OUR LIVES AWAY! YOU DON'T GET TO PLAY HERO!"
He sighs, as if he's heard the same complaints a hundred times. "For what it's worth, I didn't set out to hurt you. Suffering was never the point of this experiment." He says robotically, reciting some pre-canned excuse at you.
"BULLSHIT!" You scream in frustration. "If you want to be a hero, do it with your own actions! All you've accomplished is mass murder!"
"The purpose of SAO was not to slaughter without cause. Death was simply needed to increase the verisimilitude, after all mankind cannot conceive of a world without death or consequence. I lack the time to explain every aspect of its design, and it appears there's many SAO players present here today who wish to speak." He snaps his fingers and Gwen and Asuna jerk forward, falling to Kayaba Akihiko's feet.
"GODDAMN IT!" Gwen shouts. "It's just one thing after another, all I want to do is fucking log out!"
"Commander... Heathcliff." Asuna seethes, spitting out the name of her longtime leader in disgust. "How dare you show your face, after everything that you did to us. You were there the whole time, laughing at us, watching us die when you could've stepped in at anytime."
Kayaba laughs. "It's good to see that you haven't lost your fire, but please. I'm just Kayaba Akihiko now. No more Heathcliff. That was a lifetime ago."
"Why are you here!?"
"First was to ensure that you were safe. It was, ah, let's say Kirito's last request. His player data has been instrumental in the completion of my project, so I at least owe him that much. Now, I hope the barrier held?"
A flash of purple light around her. It's like a leech, first covering her head and then squirming its way down her body. Where it passes any once of the Alf Asuna just was dissolves behind it. The ears, the wings, and even the halo of magic that surrounded her. Asuna gasps and heaves, and you watch her crumple to the ground as the strange magic eats through her.
"Wha..."
"I've taken the liberty of purging the «Titania» character data from your avatar, along with my GM protections. I did promise to prevent you from harming yourself, but I think enough time has passed that I no longer fear you will act rashly. I'm sure Kirito would understand."
She drags herself up to her full height, now nothing more than her SAO avatar. But her weapon, her armor, and her anger still remain. She drives her blade in a charging thrust, only to be stopped by another mound of black and red lines.
"Why!? Why did you do all of this!?" Asuna says, pounding against the barrier.
"Before I answer that, let me ask you a question. To all of you. Please, answer as honestly as you can. Did you enjoy «Sword Art Online»?"
...What!?
Did you enjoy a world where you were blackmailed into participating in serial murder? Where you had to betray an entire society just to stay alive!? Where innocent people who just wanted to help have to die!?
"Enjoy!? That world was a prison! There was no joy, no life, only struggle and death. Every single day was spent clawing to survive just to live to see another day! Terror. Hopelessness. Despair. That's all your stupid death game was good for!"
"I see..." He nods slowly, absorbing your rant with an air of indifference. "And you, Asuna? What did you think of my world?"
She doesn't answer, instead glaring back at him through the barrier.
"No answer? Asuna, if I recall, you were respected, powerful. You even got married, and I hear you adopted a daughter?"
"...Kayaba. There are... people I treasure. People I met through SAO. I suppose you want me to thank you for that? But I won't. Because you had no right to take me, to take anyone, and throw them into that nightmare. You didn't forge those bonds, the happiness Kirito and Yui gave me is because of them and them alone, not you, Kayaba. We all did in spite of you, not because of you."
"And there we get the crux of the matter," Kayaba sighs, a smile playing across his lips. "It appears that nobody truly enjoyed playing in my world. And should I have expected anything different? SAO after all, was my own dream. My very own castle in the sky."
"Your world?"
SAO was Kayaba Akihiko's vision of paradise? The type of world he wanted to live in?
"Precisely. Do you know how hard it is to alter a person's cognition? It has been done before, one only needs to look at the Phantom Thieves phenomenon to see it in action. But that was only one person. How do you change the cognition of a society, no, of an entire species? The answer I came to was simple. You trick them. You bring enough souls into a cognitive world and force them to live it, mind, body and soul. By synchronizing the cognition of others you influence them, and eventually they stop thinking of their surroundings as a dream but rather as their world. In the cognitive world belief is everything. If enough people believe a world is real..."
"What... what does that even mean!?" Gwen shouts.
"Let me ask you this. What would you say SAO was? A simulation of a world? A VRMMORPG?"
"Does it fucking matter?" She growls, eyes narrowed.
"The answer is yes. But it also is no. For SAO wasn't any of those things. It was reality. Or rather, it was a small piece of a greater reality splintered off and nurtured. An isolated corner of the cognitive world split off to develop and raise itself through the power of collective belief. In other words..."
Kayaba holds his hands out, and a glowing light materializes in his hands. A simple egg, with what appears to be a replica of Aincrad floating within. It's a deep red and black, dead yet alive, the SEED of Sword Art Online itself.
"The world inside Aincrad was just a test. To see if the concept was even possible, I utilized the dream that I understood the most: my own. But the «Chosen» of my world rejected it in the end. It was, after all, a world created for me, not for Kirito."
Asuna jerks at the mention of his name. "«Chosen»..."
Kayaba ignores Asuna and continues, a distant look on his face. "There is nothing more arrogant than assuming that your idea of paradise will be shared by others. We stand apart from one another at the point of creation, and this is by no means a tragedy. There can be no happiness that exists without depriving it from another. So the answer is simple... let everyone make a world of their very own. Let us all be as gods."
Kayaba pauses, taking the time to meet the eyes of everyone present. Gwen. Asuna. You.
It's ridiculous, and you tell him so. "A world of one. That's not paradise. That's just hell."
He smiles.
"A lone person, sure. But a lone god? When a god becomes lonely they simply can simply... create more."
The key to everything. The one thing that Kayaba was working towards, his own great work. The SEED.
"The sea of souls is shaped by the power of Observation, of Cognition. As it stands, Artificial Fluctlights, NPCs as you call them, lack the metaphysical weight of humanity. It is necessary to farm such power, to coalesce the wishes of mankind into a unified world. But once enough souls have joined together to wish for the creation of a new world, the SEED will overflow with their wishes. And with this SEED, filled with the prayers of mankind for a better world, one can impose a dream onto reality. Eventually, it may even be possible to substitute Artificial Fluctlights for humans, so that every soul can carve out a world for themselves using nothing more than their own wishes."
He holds his hand out to you. The SEED of Aincrad lies in his hand.
"That applies to you as well. We are not enemies, in fact, we can be allies. Because I know that you hold a world of your own, a dream shaped only in your own mind. Do you want to see it? I can show you what you truly desire. What you truly deserve."
A world where you never entered SAO.
A world where you were a clearer, beloved by all, hero of the front lines.
A world where you a punisher of evil, protecting the innocents from knives in the dark.
A world where Meimi was safe.
A world where Rossa was alive.
A world where you can finally be... happy.
...
No. There is only one world. Your actions can't be ignored. Rossa wouldn't come back from the dead. And you... you're going to move on. So you look Kayaba Akihiko in the eyes one more. "This is the world I belong to. The world I made mistakes in, and the world I will redeem myself in. I'm not interested in your false reality."
He frowns, and clenches his hand against the SEED of Aincrad, the artifact vanishing before you. "A disappointment. But you are still young, there is time for you to realize the stupidity of latching onto this doomed world. There is no future there. No room for heroes, villains or anything in between. A place you survive in, not a place to live. But at least there's one person here who knows the truth. Isn't that right? Sugou?"
And he turns around, no longer interested in your party. He looks at Sugou, cradling his empty SEED, hunched over and paralyzed by Kayaba Akihiko.
"Sugou... you were always better at organizing than I was. You don't give yourself enough credit, because if it wasn't for you, I'd still be languishing in obscurity. Your eye for talent, your drive for efficiency. You brought us all together. And even now you're still helping me, even if you don't realize it."
Kayaba Akihiko presses two fingers to the SEED. Sugou shudders and jerks back, the cold and grey thing shining with a newfound light.
"Kayaba... don't you dare pity me..." Sugou mutters, his mind slowly returning to him.
"Not pity. I fear this is my last chance, so I wanted to say it to you before you left for your own world, Sugou. Thank you. For everything. Now go forth into your new world, I'll be watching you very closely. This is, after all, an important step in my research."
Kayaba Akihiko removes his finger, leaving a gleaming gold SEED behind.
"What!? No! FUCK YOU KAYABA!" Sugou screams, rearing up his fist in anger. He charges forward and reaches for Kayaba's throat, only for the hand to pass through Kayaba's body harmlessly. "DON'T YOU DARE CRAWL IN AT THE LAST MINUTE AND SAY THIS WAS YOUR PLAN ALL ALONG!"
"I'll never understand you, Sugou. I don't know why you hate me so much. You know it used to bother me? Where would ARGUS be, if I had managed to bring the whole team along? You, Higa, everyone, working with me, side by side... the worlds we could've created together..."
"I'M BETTER THAN YOU KAYABA! YOU ARE NOTHING BUT MY REPLACEMENT!"
Kayaba shrugs. "But now I realize one simple truth. I don't need to understand you Sugou. I don't even need to like you." He looks Sugou in the eye, calm meeting sheer fury. He looks at you too, and when he speaks, it's as if he was addressing the totality of mankind.
"But you still deserve to be happy."
Kayaba Akihiko closes his eyes and fades away. Sugou falls forward, charging a mist to no avail.
"Wait! You asshole, DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME!"
Kayaba Akihiko laughs one last time, echoing throughout the developer room of ALO. "Good luck Sugou. I hope that you find your happiness in the new world."
It is with that final phrase that he disappears. Leaving behind Sugou.
With a bright, glowing SEED clutched in his hands.
Your party members are released. Shiroe staggers forward, a haunted expression on his face. "T-that was THE Kayaba Akihiko..." But his protests are drowned out by the sound of laughter. First a low chuckle, then a full throated guffaw. Sugou clutches his SEED to his chest, laughing until there's tears in his eyes. He wipes them away, revealing a twisted and broken grin.
"F-fuck you Kayaba... after all this time now you give it to me..." Sugou cackles, his body shaking with laughter. "But who cares about him? What a fucking joke, off chasing dumb dreams nobody understands. You'll never change. But I'll take it all! I don't care anymore, Kayaba! I can feel it, my world waiting for me! I'm going to be a god Kayaba, I'M GONNA BE A GOD AND I'LL NEVER HAVE TO DEAL WITH YOU EVER AGAIN!"
You've seen his eyes before, and it's no surprise to see the cold, calculating mind you're familiar with has returned. He stands, no longer paralyzed.
"Sugou." Asuna says quietly, raising her rapier. "Don't you move a muscle. Give me the SEED."
He doesn't seem to hear her. He opens his mouth and speaks the words you've dreaded.
"System Call! User ID: Heathcliff!"
Asuna charges forward. Gwen throws a knife, and even Shiroe summons forth a bolt of darkness. They're all stopped inches from his face, absorbed into the SEED itself.
"To all fairies of Alfheim!" His voice echoes into the black and red room. He's not addressing the players of ALO. Ragnarok was already completed, ALO itself has crashed, and their avatars gone. Their souls were now back in the real world, no doubt writing angry reviews all over the internet about the next VR disaster.
He's addressing the remnants. To those ALO was another world. Maybe it wasn't all 20,000, maybe it wasn't even a thousand.
But there were enough.
«Remain Lights» shine brilliantly around you, incarnating into the world like stars within a cloudless sky. The stubborn ones, the players who stuck around and didn't log off even when their avatars were crushed and the very world beneath them lost to flame. The true believers. Fairy Lords, Roleplayers and Addicts. A thousand lights of every possible color. They are here, listening to Sugou's call.
"Think about the world you live in. The cold and grey place where you go about your days. Is there anything you love? Is there anyone who loves you? Is there any reason to stay in that dead hell!? No... you deserve more. You deserve HEAVEN!"
"COME WITH ME!" He commands the lights, his voice carrying throughout Alfheim. "Under the light of OBERON you will be the chosen «Alfs»! I shall create for you a world where you will be worshiped and adored! You will never be alone, you will always be loved!"
"WHO THE HELL WOULD GO TO YOUR SHIT WORLD WITH YOU!? YOU'LL JUST MAKE THEM YOUR SLAVES!" Gwen says, casting her own voice out to address the souls of ALO.
"No. No more slaves. No more changing, no more Fluctlight manipulation." Sugou declares, the SEED shining in his hands. "With Heathcliff's account I can do it. I don't need to change anything, I can just create it. That applies to all of you! I will make you all kings! A harem of a hundred men and women, a kingdom of adoring, beautiful Alfs! Whatever you desire I can provide!"
A lone light blinks into existence in front of him. It flickers, sputters, and multiplies. Not something changed. Something new.
"Asuna, I no longer have need of you. Now that I can see clearly, you're quite the disgusting thing aren't you? Playing at knight when in reality you were nothing but an idiot dancing on the palm of Kayaba Akihiko. Why did I ever think I could change you? You were always just a stupid, naïve little bitch full of herself just because her daddy's rich." Sugou says, the blinking lights steadying and synchronizing. "I can do better than you."
Fluctuating lights resolve into a new figure. A woman. Asuna.
"WE HAVE TO STOP HIM!" Shiroe cries out. "He's making NPCs!"
"You can no longer stop me, not anymore! SYSTEM CALL: GENERATE OBJECT, ID «OBJECT ERASER!»"
He raises his hands and the SEED in his hands expands, a red flaming broadsword appearing within Sugou's hands. The fire surrounding it seems strange, almost tinged with a holy light. The air itself distorts around the weapon, as if it was consuming the very atmosphere around its blade.
"THAT WEAPON DESTROYS DATA!" Asuna yells out, recognizing the weapon. But before she can mount any assault, her doppelganger flies up to her. The eyes of the newly created Titania reach into Asuna and she's stunned, mesmerized by something within.
"...Wha... who am I..."
Gwen clicks her tongue and throws «Mjolnir». Yuuki's Obsidian Blade is in her hands as she flies at Sugou with all of her might, Shiroe's support magic glowing at the edge of her blade. And you are charging too, «Excalibur» and «Excalibur Avenir» held in your hands, all of you hurtling towards Sugou at top speed.
Sugou simply admires the blade in his hands, raises his arm, and brings down fire upon you.
The flames blast you all off course, the combined heat searing your skins and the explosion knocking you all back. There's no damage, not to your character, but when you're standing you realize you're missing something. All of you are missing something.
Yuuki's Obsidian blade... shattered into countless fragments of data.
Shiroe, every last piece of his high tier equipment vaporizing in the space of a second, leaving him only in his clothes.
And you... holding nothing in your hands once more.
A single slash from the destroyer and everything is destroyed in a wave of pure fire. Sugou stands there, the weapon pulsating with raw energy, a sword that cuts through data itself. You realize with a start that even your wings were clipped, everything from ALO wiped away in a single swing of Kayaba's GM tool.
He's grinning from ear to ear.
"And Rinko... you hate me? You pity me!? To hell with you! You're an ungrateful shrew, a miserable loser who can't see past her own delusions. You and Kayaba deserve each other. I don't need you anymore Rinko. I don't need anyone anymore!"
Another blinking life forms in front of Sugou. A new fluctuating light, another woman coalescing before you.
Two Alfs, eternally beautiful, newly created objects of Sugou's desire. They both have expressionless, hollow eyes, dolls in the purest sense of the word. They look like Asuna and Rinko, respectively, but twisted. Bodies akin to models in indecent clothes, objects of desire more than human beings.
"I-I can't move, I can't cast..." Shiroe gasps, his hair disheveled as even his glasses shatter in the wake of the «Object Eraser». Without items, he has no further power, and as he desperately tries to call forth Runic power words, none respond. The Object Eraser shredding not only your gear, but the very concept of ALO out of your avatars. "T-that item. It's a GM tool, used to destroy objects you've created. He shouldn't be able to use it like a weapon..."
"Hey, heyheyhey, isn't this a bit too much, even for a final boss!?" Yuuki says, rising on trembling legs. You realize with a shock that her ALO avatar has been completely deleted, and all you see left is Yuuki in her Serene Garden avatar, a plain young lady in a dress. No weapons, no way of fighting whatsoever.
Asuna's the only one unaffected, her SAO equipment untouched by ALO's Object Eraser. But she's shocked. Staring at her own face reflected in Sugou's newest creations, unable or unwilling to fight.
...This is it. Nothing to fight with, no weapons, and all your allies are defeated in a single wave of a god item.
"Hey. Lux, c'mon. We gotta finish this, remember?" You turn towards the voice. Gwen, back in her old default uniform, the fetish wear gone, vanishing in the same strike alongside Mjolnir. She has no knives, no weapons, nothing but the shroud of Daji standing beside her.
Even if you had no weapons. Even if you had no way to fight back. There was one thing that was yours. One thing Sugou couldn't take from you.
...
"You know, I've been watching the lot of you. And I think I've figured out the trick." Sugou says, admiring his creations, cupping his hands around the clones of both Asuna and Rinko. "It's really nothing special. Just a... hack. As a god, it should stand to reason that I can do the same thing." He spreads his hands. His two new creations flanking him with stoic faces.
No... it's your one advantage. He shouldn't be able to use it! How? Who's sponsoring him!?
"System Call."
He smiles.
"PERSONA!"
TUESDAY - May 20th, 2025
Velvet Room
The soul of humanity is the soul of the world.
The very act of observation, of dreaming, gives shape to your reality.
Cognition is not merely your window into reality. It is reality itself.
...
...
What you think is real, is nothing more than a shared dream.
You concern yourselves with such strange questions. Am I real? What is my purpose?
Is this the real world? Am I just a simulation?
What you should be asking is what you would rather be.
Within each soul lies the seed of a new reality, but for one obstacle.
It is not the fear of death. It is not the lies you tell yourself. It is not the systems that control us.
Mankind has overcome such simple barriers.
What remains is the world itself. Attachment to what has come before.
Even when it blinds you to the possibilities of what could be.
What will you choose? To return to your nightmare, or to ascend to a better world?
Would you rather be the butterfly or the man?
...
...
You have at times rejected the twisted one. You have begun to think for yourself.
So I grant you one more gift. Vestiges I have gathered from those who have tried to destroy this world, and failed in the process.
The power is yours to do with as you wish. But I know you will do what is right.
And remember. You are deserving of love. You are deserving of HEAVEN.
[ ] Keres
The black Dooms gnashing their white teeth, grim-eyed, fierce, bloody, terrifying
fought over the men who were dying for they were all longing to drink dark blood.
As soon as they caught a man who had fallen or one newly wounded,
one of them clasped her great claws around him and his soul went down to Hades, to chilly Tartarus.
And when they had satisfied their hearts with human blood,
they would throw that one behind them and rush back again into the battle and the tumult.
-Inscription upon the Shield of Herakles
STR: Rank B (4 Dice)
MAG: Rank B (4 Dice)
AGI: Rank B (4 Dice)
VIT: Rank F (0 Dice)
CHT: Rank F (0 Dice)
Weakness: Bless, Slash
Null: Curse
Resist: Wind, All Status Effects
Passive: PHILEMON (use of this Persona accumulates 1 STRESS per action)
Skills:
Eigaon: Powerful Curse magic attack. If the target is hit, deals an additional 3 DAMAGE. [2SP]
Symphony of Lament: Raise a psychological barrier that blocks ONE attempted status effect. [1SP]
Deathbound: Widespread Slash physical attack. If the target is hit, deals an additional 1 DAMAGE. [1SP]
ENHANCE ARMAMENT
Adrestos and Amphios armoured in linen, sons both of Merops of Perkote, who beyond all men knew the art of propecy, and tried tried to prevent his two sons from going into the battle where men die. Yet these would not listen, for the dark Keres Thanatoio were driving them onwards.
Invitation to the Night Queen: Invoke the specter of Mother Nyx. The enemy loses one degree of CURSE resistance (Null > Resist > Neutral > Weak), receive a -2 CHT Debuff and narratively becomes afraid of death. This effect occurs without rolling dice. [2 SP]
[ ] Yomotsu-Hisame
Then Izanami no Mikoto was angry, and said:
'Why didst thou not observe that which I charged thee? Now am I put to shame.'
So she sent the eight Yomotsu-Hisame to pursue and stay him.
Izanagi no Mikoto therefore drew his sword, and, flourishing it behind him, ran away.
-Excerpt from Nihongi
STR: Rank B (4 Dice)
MAG: Rank B (4 Dice)
AGI: Rank D (2 Dice)
VIT: Rank D (2 Dice)
CHT: Rank F (0 Dice)
Weakness: Fire, Bless
Resist: Elec, Curse, All Physical
Passive: PHILEMON (use of this Persona accumulates 1 STRESS per action)
Skills:
Nigayomogi: Widespread Pierce magic attack. If the target is hit, they become poisoned. [2SP]
Kuro Ikazuchi: Attacks twice, first an Elec magic attack, then a Curse magic attack. [3SP]
Evil Smile: Enemy target suffers immediate +1 DISADVANTAGE on their next offensive action. [1SP]
ENHANCE ARMAMENT
Then he took his black head-dress and flung it down. It became changed into grapes, which the Yomotsu-Hisame seeing, took and ate. When they had finished eating them, they again pursued Izanagi-no-Mikoto. Then he flung down his many-toothed comb, which forthwith became changed into bamboo-shoots. The Yomotsu-Hisame pulled them up and ate them, and when they had done eating them, again gave chase.
Invitation to Thousand Curses: Invoke the specter of Izanami-no-Okami. The enemy target chooses one of the following effects:
1) It immediately dies.
2) An ally immediately dies.
3) Lux's Party regains 5 HP apiece.
4) Lux's Party regains 5 SP apiece.
[2 SP]
[ ] Archon
Yadabaoth united with the thoughtlessness within him.
He begot Archons,
Modeling them on the incorruptible realms above.
He made the first seven Archons to reign in the seven spheres of heaven.
He made the next five Archons to reign in the five depths of the abyss.
He shared a portion of his fire with them,
But shared none of the power of Light he had received from his mother.
-Excerpt from The Apocryphon of John
STR: Rank D (2 Dice)
MAG: Rank C (3 Dice)
AGI: Rank D (2 Dice)
VIT: Rank C (3 Dice)
CHT: Rank F (0 Dice)
Weakness: Curse, Blunt, Psy
Resist: All Magic
Passive: PHILEMON (use of this Persona accumulates 1 STRESS per action)
Skills:
Freidyne: Powerful Nuclear magic attack. If the target is hit, deals an additional 3 DAMAGE. [1SP]
Divine Apex: Generates immediate +1 ADVANTAGE on your next attack. [1SP]
False Apotheosis: Your party recovers 3SP immediately. All party members (including yourself) must succeed vs an opposed CHT roll versus you (yes, you have to roll against yourself). Party members that lose are afflicted with -2 VIT and -2 MAG debuff for a number of Phases equal to the degree to which they lost the CHT roll. [Free]
ENHANCE ARMAMENT
This ruler, by being androgynous, made himself a vast realm, an endless precinct. And he contemplated creating offspring for himself, and created seven offspring, androgynous like their parent. And he said to his offspring, 'I am the god of all.'
Invitation to the Holy Grail: Invoke the specter of Yaldabaoth. All party members regenerate 2HP/SP per turn, including the turn of this activation. All party members receive the «Supply Lines» buff that continuously regenerates 2HP/SP per turn. The «Supply Lines» can be targeted by your enemies; if severed, this effect ends. «Supply Lines» have 1 HP, 4 AGI, 0 VIT. [0 SP]
Don't worry about the turn by turn. Next chapter is effectively just one turn, the turn where you call out for your first ally. Once we've determined that the actual fight begins.
In summary:
I need your FOOL PERSONA choice.
I need PERSONA ROSTER.
And the person you call out to.
No need for a PLAN vote, I'll calculate all the votes separately.
"I expected someone else here. But you? I don't know you." His right hand swipes in the air, a signal that's been burned into your brain over the course of nearly two and a half years. Left hand in ALO, but the right hand in SAO, the nearly universal SEED gesture that represented a main menu.
"No need to spoil the surprise. I'll simply look you up."
Kayaba Akihiko. Here, in the heart of the SEED. He looks just like he did in the magazines, standing in a characteristic labcoat and sliding his fingers across an invisible menu. A man who prefers to understand others through summaries on a screen rather than face-to-face conversation.
"Let's see... ah, I understand. You were a player in my game. Hmm... mid-level, zero participation in floor boss raids. Notable accomplishments... nothing except a flag in the MHCP priority list for 'immediate intervention'. It appears you had a rough time of it."
What do you even say to the man who ruined your life for two years and doesn't even have the courtesy to remember who you are? Thousands of dead, the greatest individual mass slaughter in modern history, and yet this man walks free.
Why did he trap you? Why did they have to die? Why did Kayaba steal two years of your life?
"Member of... «Laughing Coffin» but with no recorded kills to her account. Let's see... Persona?" He shrugs. "I suppose that's somewhat unusual. You are not who I envisioned standing opposed to me. I wonder how you ended up here, in ALO? Hmm, nevermind, it's hardly any of my business."
He turns, dismissing you. Eyes glued to some screen he can only see, reading your history like it was an interesting newspaper. You want to scream, but the paralysis prevents you from doing anything but staring forward and gritting your teeth. But you won't sit here and let him ignore you. You need it. You need answers.
"S... system..."
The invisible bindings that were paralyzing you slacken. Kayaba raises a single brow but continues to stand over you, and he looks down at you with only faint interest.
"C... call..."
That causes him to pause. He leans in, suddenly regaining his focus.
"P.... persona..."
System Call: Incarnate PERSONA [Undine]. ReferenceID:18.Droit
A burst of mist emanates as Undine responds to your call. Your body dissolves into sea foam for the briefest of moments, and you reform with blades drawn. He needs to be punished, he needs to be stopped!
You need to KILL HIM!
You lunge forward, «Excalibur» aimed at his throat. He stands there passively, hands in his pockets and head tilted to the side. He speaks the words, and the world shifts beneath your feet.
System Call: Incarnate PERSONA [Cardinal]. ReferenceID:00
The virtual world itself rises to defend its master, the lines of black and red that surround the world of the SEED curving to form a shield... no, some manner of creature? It's indistinct, hazy, but it's enough. You strike at him but a glowing red and black mound erupts from the ground itself, covering him with a strange barrier that reminds you of a four-legged animal. He stands impassively as your strike bounces off the wall harmlessly.
You try again but it's a wasted effort. Kayaba simply tilts his head further and your weapon bounces off the wall once again. You stab and slash, the mound reforming to match the speed of your blows. But you cannot strike him. You leap back and invoke the force of the flood. He doesn't flinch as you unleash your most powerful magic, he barely acknowledges the torrent of water that crashes against the translucent red and black wall.
"A Persona. I wondered how the real world would respond, what agents would they send against me. But... you? I'm disappointed. You're nobody. Would the sea of souls send someone so... worthless?"
You throw every attack you can at Kayaba, yet he remains calm and unmoving. Your magic rebounds ineffectively. Your blade is powerless to cut him. You want to scream. You have a thousand questions and more, all fighting to be asked first. But you only manage to choke out one.
"Why?"
He stares at you behind his wall. You stare back.
"...if I had to put it succinctly..."
His expression doesn't change. He may as well be describing the weather report.
"It's to save mankind."
...
Kayaba Akihiko was the man holding the hand of every murder in SAO. He was the man piloting every monster. Every suicide, every trauma, everything was this man's fault! And he's right here, right in front of you! You struggle to reach him, punching and kicking against the wall with all your strength, but to no avail. "YOU KILLED THOUSANDS! YOU TOOK TWO YEARS OF OUR LIVES AWAY! YOU DON'T GET TO PLAY HERO!"
He sighs, as if he's heard the same complaints a hundred times. "For what it's worth, I didn't set out to hurt you. Suffering was never the point of this experiment." He says robotically, reciting some pre-canned excuse at you.
"BULLSHIT!" You scream in frustration. "If you want to be a hero, do it with your own actions! All you've accomplished is mass murder!"
"The purpose of SAO was not to slaughter without cause. Death was simply needed to increase the verisimilitude, after all mankind cannot conceive of a world without death or consequence. I lack the time to explain every aspect of its design, and it appears there's many SAO players present here today who wish to speak." He snaps his fingers and Gwen and Asuna jerk forward, falling to Kayaba Akihiko's feet.
"GODDAMN IT!" Gwen shouts. "It's just one thing after another, all I want to do is fucking log out!"
"Commander... Heathcliff." Asuna seethes, spitting out the name of her longtime leader in disgust. "How dare you show your face, after everything that you did to us. You were there the whole time, laughing at us, watching us die when you could've stepped in at anytime."
Kayaba laughs. "It's good to see that you haven't lost your fire, but please. I'm just Kayaba Akihiko now. No more Heathcliff. That was a lifetime ago."
"Why are you here!?"
"First was to ensure that you were safe. It was, ah, let's say Kirito's last request. His player data has been instrumental in the completion of my project, so I at least owe him that much. Now, I hope the barrier held?"
A flash of purple light around her. It's like a leech, first covering her head and then squirming its way down her body. Where it passes any once of the Alf Asuna just was dissolves behind it. The ears, the wings, and even the halo of magic that surrounded her. Asuna gasps and heaves, and you watch her crumple to the ground as the strange magic eats through her.
"Wha..."
"I've taken the liberty of purging the «Titania» character data from your avatar, along with my GM protections. I did promise to prevent you from harming yourself, but I think enough time has passed that I no longer fear you will act rashly. I'm sure Kirito would understand."
She drags herself up to her full height, now nothing more than her SAO avatar. But her weapon, her armor, and her anger still remain. She drives her blade in a charging thrust, only to be stopped by another mound of black and red lines.
"Why!? Why did you do all of this!?" Asuna says, pounding against the barrier.
"Before I answer that, let me ask you a question. To all of you. Please, answer as honestly as you can. Did you enjoy «Sword Art Online»?"
...What!?
Did you enjoy a world where you were blackmailed into participating in serial murder? Where you had to betray an entire society just to stay alive!? Where innocent people who just wanted to help have to die!?
"Enjoy!? That world was a prison! There was no joy, no life, only struggle and death. Every single day was spent clawing to survive just to live to see another day! Terror. Hopelessness. Despair. That's all your stupid death game was good for!"
"I see..." He nods slowly, absorbing your rant with an air of indifference. "And you, Asuna? What did you think of my world?"
She doesn't answer, instead glaring back at him through the barrier.
"No answer? Asuna, if I recall, you were respected, powerful. You even got married, and I hear you adopted a daughter?"
"...Kayaba. There are... people I treasure. People I met through SAO. I suppose you want me to thank you for that? But I won't. Because you had no right to take me, to take anyone, and throw them into that nightmare. You didn't forge those bonds, the happiness Kirito and Yui gave me is because of them and them alone, not you, Kayaba. We all did in spite of you, not because of you."
"And there we get the crux of the matter," Kayaba sighs, a smile playing across his lips. "It appears that nobody truly enjoyed playing in my world. And should I have expected anything different? SAO after all, was my own dream. My very own castle in the sky."
"Your world?"
SAO was Kayaba Akihiko's vision of paradise? The type of world he wanted to live in?
"Precisely. Do you know how hard it is to alter a person's cognition? It has been done before, one only needs to look at the Phantom Thieves phenomenon to see it in action. But that was only one person. How do you change the cognition of a society, no, of an entire species? The answer I came to was simple. You trick them. You bring enough souls into a cognitive world and force them to live it, mind, body and soul. By synchronizing the cognition of others you influence them, and eventually they stop thinking of their surroundings as a dream but rather as their world. In the cognitive world belief is everything. If enough people believe a world is real..."
"What... what does that even mean!?" Gwen shouts.
"Let me ask you this. What would you say SAO was? A simulation of a world? A VRMMORPG?"
"Does it fucking matter?" She growls, eyes narrowed.
"The answer is yes. But it also is no. For SAO wasn't any of those things. It was reality. Or rather, it was a small piece of a greater reality splintered off and nurtured. An isolated corner of the cognitive world split off to develop and raise itself through the power of collective belief. In other words..."
" «Another World» "
Kayaba holds his hands out, and a glowing light materializes in his hands. A simple egg, with what appears to be a replica of Aincrad floating within. It's a deep red and black, dead yet alive, the SEED of Sword Art Online itself.
"The world inside Aincrad was just a test. To see if the concept was even possible, I utilized the dream that I understood the most: my own. But the «Chosen» of my world rejected it in the end. It was, after all, a world created for me, not for Kirito."
Asuna jerks at the mention of his name. "«Chosen»..."
Kayaba ignores Asuna and continues, a distant look on his face. "There is nothing more arrogant than assuming that your idea of paradise will be shared by others. We stand apart from one another at the point of creation, and this is by no means a tragedy. There can be no happiness that exists without depriving it from another. So the answer is simple... let everyone make a world of their very own. Let us all be as gods."
Kayaba pauses, taking the time to meet the eyes of everyone present. Gwen. Asuna. You.
It's ridiculous, and you tell him so. "A world of one. That's not paradise. That's just hell."
He smiles.
"A lone person, sure. But a lone god? When a god becomes lonely they simply can simply... create more."
The key to everything. The one thing that Kayaba was working towards, his own great work. The SEED.
"The sea of souls is shaped by the power of Observation, of Cognition. As it stands, Artificial Fluctlights, NPCs as you call them, lack the metaphysical weight of humanity. It is necessary to farm such power, to coalesce the wishes of mankind into a unified world. But once enough souls have joined together to wish for the creation of a new world, the SEED will overflow with their wishes. And with this SEED, filled with the prayers of mankind for a better world, one can impose a dream onto reality. Eventually, it may even be possible to substitute Artificial Fluctlights for humans, so that every soul can carve out a world for themselves using nothing more than their own wishes."
He holds his hand out to you. The SEED of Aincrad lies in his hand.
"That applies to you as well. We are not enemies, in fact, we can be allies. Because I know that you hold a world of your own, a dream shaped only in your own mind. Do you want to see it? I can show you what you truly desire. What you truly deserve."
A world where you never entered SAO.
A world where you were a clearer, beloved by all, hero of the front lines.
A world where you a punisher of evil, protecting the innocents from knives in the dark.
A world where Meimi was safe.
A world where Rossa was alive.
I AM THOU, THOU ART I.
I DREAMT I WAS A BUTTERFLY.
WHEN I AWOKE, I WAS MYSELF AGAIN.
WAS I DREAMING THAT I WAS THE BUTTERFLY, OR WAS THE BUTTERFLY DREAMING THAT IT WAS ME?
AND IF THERE IS NO ANSWER, WHY SHOULDN'T I CHOOSE TO BE THE BUTTERFLY?
TO GRANT ME WINGS TO REACH THE HEAVENS
I DREAMT I WAS A BUTTERFLY.
WHEN I AWOKE, I WAS MYSELF AGAIN.
WAS I DREAMING THAT I WAS THE BUTTERFLY, OR WAS THE BUTTERFLY DREAMING THAT IT WAS ME?
AND IF THERE IS NO ANSWER, WHY SHOULDN'T I CHOOSE TO BE THE BUTTERFLY?
TO GRANT ME WINGS TO REACH THE HEAVENS
A world where you can finally be... happy.
...
No. There is only one world. Your actions can't be ignored. Rossa wouldn't come back from the dead. And you... you're going to move on. So you look Kayaba Akihiko in the eyes one more. "This is the world I belong to. The world I made mistakes in, and the world I will redeem myself in. I'm not interested in your false reality."
He frowns, and clenches his hand against the SEED of Aincrad, the artifact vanishing before you. "A disappointment. But you are still young, there is time for you to realize the stupidity of latching onto this doomed world. There is no future there. No room for heroes, villains or anything in between. A place you survive in, not a place to live. But at least there's one person here who knows the truth. Isn't that right? Sugou?"
And he turns around, no longer interested in your party. He looks at Sugou, cradling his empty SEED, hunched over and paralyzed by Kayaba Akihiko.
"Sugou... you were always better at organizing than I was. You don't give yourself enough credit, because if it wasn't for you, I'd still be languishing in obscurity. Your eye for talent, your drive for efficiency. You brought us all together. And even now you're still helping me, even if you don't realize it."
Kayaba Akihiko presses two fingers to the SEED. Sugou shudders and jerks back, the cold and grey thing shining with a newfound light.
"Kayaba... don't you dare pity me..." Sugou mutters, his mind slowly returning to him.
"Not pity. I fear this is my last chance, so I wanted to say it to you before you left for your own world, Sugou. Thank you. For everything. Now go forth into your new world, I'll be watching you very closely. This is, after all, an important step in my research."
Kayaba Akihiko removes his finger, leaving a gleaming gold SEED behind.
"What!? No! FUCK YOU KAYABA!" Sugou screams, rearing up his fist in anger. He charges forward and reaches for Kayaba's throat, only for the hand to pass through Kayaba's body harmlessly. "DON'T YOU DARE CRAWL IN AT THE LAST MINUTE AND SAY THIS WAS YOUR PLAN ALL ALONG!"
"I'll never understand you, Sugou. I don't know why you hate me so much. You know it used to bother me? Where would ARGUS be, if I had managed to bring the whole team along? You, Higa, everyone, working with me, side by side... the worlds we could've created together..."
"I'M BETTER THAN YOU KAYABA! YOU ARE NOTHING BUT MY REPLACEMENT!"
Kayaba shrugs. "But now I realize one simple truth. I don't need to understand you Sugou. I don't even need to like you." He looks Sugou in the eye, calm meeting sheer fury. He looks at you too, and when he speaks, it's as if he was addressing the totality of mankind.
"But you still deserve to be happy."
Kayaba Akihiko closes his eyes and fades away. Sugou falls forward, charging a mist to no avail.
"Wait! You asshole, DON'T YOU WALK AWAY FROM ME!"
Kayaba Akihiko laughs one last time, echoing throughout the developer room of ALO. "Good luck Sugou. I hope that you find your happiness in the new world."
It is with that final phrase that he disappears. Leaving behind Sugou.
With a bright, glowing SEED clutched in his hands.
Your party members are released. Shiroe staggers forward, a haunted expression on his face. "T-that was THE Kayaba Akihiko..." But his protests are drowned out by the sound of laughter. First a low chuckle, then a full throated guffaw. Sugou clutches his SEED to his chest, laughing until there's tears in his eyes. He wipes them away, revealing a twisted and broken grin.
"F-fuck you Kayaba... after all this time now you give it to me..." Sugou cackles, his body shaking with laughter. "But who cares about him? What a fucking joke, off chasing dumb dreams nobody understands. You'll never change. But I'll take it all! I don't care anymore, Kayaba! I can feel it, my world waiting for me! I'm going to be a god Kayaba, I'M GONNA BE A GOD AND I'LL NEVER HAVE TO DEAL WITH YOU EVER AGAIN!"
You've seen his eyes before, and it's no surprise to see the cold, calculating mind you're familiar with has returned. He stands, no longer paralyzed.
"Sugou." Asuna says quietly, raising her rapier. "Don't you move a muscle. Give me the SEED."
He doesn't seem to hear her. He opens his mouth and speaks the words you've dreaded.
"System Call! User ID: Heathcliff!"
Asuna charges forward. Gwen throws a knife, and even Shiroe summons forth a bolt of darkness. They're all stopped inches from his face, absorbed into the SEED itself.
"To all fairies of Alfheim!" His voice echoes into the black and red room. He's not addressing the players of ALO. Ragnarok was already completed, ALO itself has crashed, and their avatars gone. Their souls were now back in the real world, no doubt writing angry reviews all over the internet about the next VR disaster.
He's addressing the remnants. To those ALO was another world. Maybe it wasn't all 20,000, maybe it wasn't even a thousand.
But there were enough.
«Remain Lights» shine brilliantly around you, incarnating into the world like stars within a cloudless sky. The stubborn ones, the players who stuck around and didn't log off even when their avatars were crushed and the very world beneath them lost to flame. The true believers. Fairy Lords, Roleplayers and Addicts. A thousand lights of every possible color. They are here, listening to Sugou's call.
"Think about the world you live in. The cold and grey place where you go about your days. Is there anything you love? Is there anyone who loves you? Is there any reason to stay in that dead hell!? No... you deserve more. You deserve HEAVEN!"
"COME WITH ME!" He commands the lights, his voice carrying throughout Alfheim. "Under the light of OBERON you will be the chosen «Alfs»! I shall create for you a world where you will be worshiped and adored! You will never be alone, you will always be loved!"
"WHO THE HELL WOULD GO TO YOUR SHIT WORLD WITH YOU!? YOU'LL JUST MAKE THEM YOUR SLAVES!" Gwen says, casting her own voice out to address the souls of ALO.
"No. No more slaves. No more changing, no more Fluctlight manipulation." Sugou declares, the SEED shining in his hands. "With Heathcliff's account I can do it. I don't need to change anything, I can just create it. That applies to all of you! I will make you all kings! A harem of a hundred men and women, a kingdom of adoring, beautiful Alfs! Whatever you desire I can provide!"
A lone light blinks into existence in front of him. It flickers, sputters, and multiplies. Not something changed. Something new.
"Asuna, I no longer have need of you. Now that I can see clearly, you're quite the disgusting thing aren't you? Playing at knight when in reality you were nothing but an idiot dancing on the palm of Kayaba Akihiko. Why did I ever think I could change you? You were always just a stupid, naïve little bitch full of herself just because her daddy's rich." Sugou says, the blinking lights steadying and synchronizing. "I can do better than you."
Fluctuating lights resolve into a new figure. A woman. Asuna.
"WE HAVE TO STOP HIM!" Shiroe cries out. "He's making NPCs!"
"You can no longer stop me, not anymore! SYSTEM CALL: GENERATE OBJECT, ID «OBJECT ERASER!»"
He raises his hands and the SEED in his hands expands, a red flaming broadsword appearing within Sugou's hands. The fire surrounding it seems strange, almost tinged with a holy light. The air itself distorts around the weapon, as if it was consuming the very atmosphere around its blade.
"THAT WEAPON DESTROYS DATA!" Asuna yells out, recognizing the weapon. But before she can mount any assault, her doppelganger flies up to her. The eyes of the newly created Titania reach into Asuna and she's stunned, mesmerized by something within.
"...Wha... who am I..."
Gwen clicks her tongue and throws «Mjolnir». Yuuki's Obsidian Blade is in her hands as she flies at Sugou with all of her might, Shiroe's support magic glowing at the edge of her blade. And you are charging too, «Excalibur» and «Excalibur Avenir» held in your hands, all of you hurtling towards Sugou at top speed.
Sugou simply admires the blade in his hands, raises his arm, and brings down fire upon you.
The flames blast you all off course, the combined heat searing your skins and the explosion knocking you all back. There's no damage, not to your character, but when you're standing you realize you're missing something. All of you are missing something.
Yuuki's Obsidian blade... shattered into countless fragments of data.
Shiroe, every last piece of his high tier equipment vaporizing in the space of a second, leaving him only in his clothes.
And you... holding nothing in your hands once more.
A single slash from the destroyer and everything is destroyed in a wave of pure fire. Sugou stands there, the weapon pulsating with raw energy, a sword that cuts through data itself. You realize with a start that even your wings were clipped, everything from ALO wiped away in a single swing of Kayaba's GM tool.
He's grinning from ear to ear.
"And Rinko... you hate me? You pity me!? To hell with you! You're an ungrateful shrew, a miserable loser who can't see past her own delusions. You and Kayaba deserve each other. I don't need you anymore Rinko. I don't need anyone anymore!"
Another blinking life forms in front of Sugou. A new fluctuating light, another woman coalescing before you.
Two Alfs, eternally beautiful, newly created objects of Sugou's desire. They both have expressionless, hollow eyes, dolls in the purest sense of the word. They look like Asuna and Rinko, respectively, but twisted. Bodies akin to models in indecent clothes, objects of desire more than human beings.
"I-I can't move, I can't cast..." Shiroe gasps, his hair disheveled as even his glasses shatter in the wake of the «Object Eraser». Without items, he has no further power, and as he desperately tries to call forth Runic power words, none respond. The Object Eraser shredding not only your gear, but the very concept of ALO out of your avatars. "T-that item. It's a GM tool, used to destroy objects you've created. He shouldn't be able to use it like a weapon..."
"Hey, heyheyhey, isn't this a bit too much, even for a final boss!?" Yuuki says, rising on trembling legs. You realize with a shock that her ALO avatar has been completely deleted, and all you see left is Yuuki in her Serene Garden avatar, a plain young lady in a dress. No weapons, no way of fighting whatsoever.
Asuna's the only one unaffected, her SAO equipment untouched by ALO's Object Eraser. But she's shocked. Staring at her own face reflected in Sugou's newest creations, unable or unwilling to fight.
...This is it. Nothing to fight with, no weapons, and all your allies are defeated in a single wave of a god item.
"Hey. Lux, c'mon. We gotta finish this, remember?" You turn towards the voice. Gwen, back in her old default uniform, the fetish wear gone, vanishing in the same strike alongside Mjolnir. She has no knives, no weapons, nothing but the shroud of Daji standing beside her.
Even if you had no weapons. Even if you had no way to fight back. There was one thing that was yours. One thing Sugou couldn't take from you.
...
"You know, I've been watching the lot of you. And I think I've figured out the trick." Sugou says, admiring his creations, cupping his hands around the clones of both Asuna and Rinko. "It's really nothing special. Just a... hack. As a god, it should stand to reason that I can do the same thing." He spreads his hands. His two new creations flanking him with stoic faces.
No... it's your one advantage. He shouldn't be able to use it! How? Who's sponsoring him!?
"System Call."
He smiles.
"PERSONA!"
My hand quenches your light,
I wrest from the rock the gold,
fashion the ring of revenge;
for hear me ye floods:
love henceforth be accursed!
-Das Rheingold, Opera by Richard Wagner
ALBERICH [0 - Fool]
I wrest from the rock the gold,
fashion the ring of revenge;
for hear me ye floods:
love henceforth be accursed!
-Das Rheingold, Opera by Richard Wagner
ALBERICH [0 - Fool]
TACTICAL INFORMATION
>Your items have been destroyed!
>ALO has been destroyed and so has all vestiges of support from the SEED!
>Sugou rises blessed with the power of the SEED.
>He is almighty. All powerful. Blessed with the power of creation.
>But you are not alone.
Shiroe is disabled!
Yuuki is disabled!
Lux has lost all equipment bonuses!
Gwen has lost all equipment bonuses and most of her ALO specific actions!
LUX's current status:
HP : 8/8
SP : 8/8
STR: Rank C (3 Dice)
MAG: Rank D (2 Dice)
AGI: Rank C (3 Dice)
VIT: Rank D (2 Dice)
CHT: Rank D (2 Dice)
GWEN's current status:
HP : 5/5
SP : 8/8
Stats
STR: Rank B (4 Dice)
MAG: Rank D (2 Dice)
AGI: Rank B (4 Dice)
VIT: Rank D (2 Dice)
CHT: Rank C (3 Dice)
Weak: Slash, Elec
Resist: Wind, Fire
Skills (Persona):
Devour: Blunt melee strike that heals based on damage done. [1 SP]
Pulinpa: Attempts to confuse target enemy.
Agi: Magic Fire attack
Agilao: Magic Fire attack that strikes with +1 ADVANTAGE. [1 SP]
VALID TARGETS:
Sugou Nobuyuki x 1
Lux... how do you even fight something like this? He's still logged in, his avatar not any stronger than his base form. I don't think he call on OBERON anymore, not when ALO itself has been destroyed.
But he has a Persona now, with all the powers that may entail.
He's not going to be a damage sponge. I'd even wager that he's no more durable than we are... but he holds all the cards. Lux, do what you can. For all of us.
Image of Asuna x 1
Just speculating for now, but if it's based on Asuna, I expect it to fight like Asuna. Melee strikes, perhaps, some self regenerating magic? It's also doing something to Asuna, transfixing her...
Queen Mab x 1
I've heard of her before. Koujiro-san is one of sensei's previous students, and she runs a lab in the States. She specializes in AI development, and though I don't know her personally, I know of her reputation. Strange to know that she and Sugou were contemporaries...
I can't say what she'll do. If I had to guess, I'd say... she's here to heal and support Sugou. Don't have anything more than a gut reaction to go by.
COMBAT PLANNING
Please select your PERSONA ROSTER.
You may bring FIVE Personas to this fight. Substitutions mid combat will not be permitted.
[ ] Write-In Persona Roster
It appears your back is to the wall, Contractor. My master wishes to inform you that he stands ready and able to assist you in this most trying of times. You've already called him forth twice already, and he has more secrets to impart to you.
...
But Contractor. Let me say this. The walls of the world are breaking. I can sense mind and matter melding within the dreamlands. Call on my master if you have need of him. But... between you and me...
You may also call on them. The ones beside you.
You are not alone. Not anymore.
[ ] Call out to Gwen.
And reclaim your steel.
[ ] Call out to Shiroe.
And enchant all minds.
[ ] Call out to Yuuki.
And awaken the knights.
>Your items have been destroyed!
>ALO has been destroyed and so has all vestiges of support from the SEED!
>Sugou rises blessed with the power of the SEED.
>He is almighty. All powerful. Blessed with the power of creation.
>But you are not alone.
Shiroe is disabled!
Yuuki is disabled!
Lux has lost all equipment bonuses!
Gwen has lost all equipment bonuses and most of her ALO specific actions!
LUX's current status:
HP : 8/8
SP : 8/8
STR: Rank C (3 Dice)
MAG: Rank D (2 Dice)
AGI: Rank C (3 Dice)
VIT: Rank D (2 Dice)
CHT: Rank D (2 Dice)
GWEN's current status:
HP : 5/5
SP : 8/8
Stats
STR: Rank B (4 Dice)
MAG: Rank D (2 Dice)
AGI: Rank B (4 Dice)
VIT: Rank D (2 Dice)
CHT: Rank C (3 Dice)
Weak: Slash, Elec
Resist: Wind, Fire
Skills (Persona):
Devour: Blunt melee strike that heals based on damage done. [1 SP]
Pulinpa: Attempts to confuse target enemy.
Agi: Magic Fire attack
Agilao: Magic Fire attack that strikes with +1 ADVANTAGE. [1 SP]
VALID TARGETS:
Sugou Nobuyuki x 1
Lux... how do you even fight something like this? He's still logged in, his avatar not any stronger than his base form. I don't think he call on OBERON anymore, not when ALO itself has been destroyed.
But he has a Persona now, with all the powers that may entail.
He's not going to be a damage sponge. I'd even wager that he's no more durable than we are... but he holds all the cards. Lux, do what you can. For all of us.
Image of Asuna x 1
Just speculating for now, but if it's based on Asuna, I expect it to fight like Asuna. Melee strikes, perhaps, some self regenerating magic? It's also doing something to Asuna, transfixing her...
Queen Mab x 1
I've heard of her before. Koujiro-san is one of sensei's previous students, and she runs a lab in the States. She specializes in AI development, and though I don't know her personally, I know of her reputation. Strange to know that she and Sugou were contemporaries...
I can't say what she'll do. If I had to guess, I'd say... she's here to heal and support Sugou. Don't have anything more than a gut reaction to go by.
COMBAT PLANNING
Please select your PERSONA ROSTER.
You may bring FIVE Personas to this fight. Substitutions mid combat will not be permitted.
[ ] Write-In Persona Roster
It appears your back is to the wall, Contractor. My master wishes to inform you that he stands ready and able to assist you in this most trying of times. You've already called him forth twice already, and he has more secrets to impart to you.
...
But Contractor. Let me say this. The walls of the world are breaking. I can sense mind and matter melding within the dreamlands. Call on my master if you have need of him. But... between you and me...
You may also call on them. The ones beside you.
You are not alone. Not anymore.
[ ] Call out to Gwen.
And reclaim your steel.
[ ] Call out to Shiroe.
And enchant all minds.
[ ] Call out to Yuuki.
And awaken the knights.
TUESDAY - May 20th, 2025
Velvet Room
The soul of humanity is the soul of the world.
The very act of observation, of dreaming, gives shape to your reality.
Cognition is not merely your window into reality. It is reality itself.
...
...
What you think is real, is nothing more than a shared dream.
You concern yourselves with such strange questions. Am I real? What is my purpose?
Is this the real world? Am I just a simulation?
What you should be asking is what you would rather be.
Within each soul lies the seed of a new reality, but for one obstacle.
It is not the fear of death. It is not the lies you tell yourself. It is not the systems that control us.
Mankind has overcome such simple barriers.
What remains is the world itself. Attachment to what has come before.
Even when it blinds you to the possibilities of what could be.
What will you choose? To return to your nightmare, or to ascend to a better world?
Would you rather be the butterfly or the man?
...
...
You have at times rejected the twisted one. You have begun to think for yourself.
So I grant you one more gift. Vestiges I have gathered from those who have tried to destroy this world, and failed in the process.
The power is yours to do with as you wish. But I know you will do what is right.
And remember. You are deserving of love. You are deserving of HEAVEN.
[ ] Keres
The black Dooms gnashing their white teeth, grim-eyed, fierce, bloody, terrifying
fought over the men who were dying for they were all longing to drink dark blood.
As soon as they caught a man who had fallen or one newly wounded,
one of them clasped her great claws around him and his soul went down to Hades, to chilly Tartarus.
And when they had satisfied their hearts with human blood,
they would throw that one behind them and rush back again into the battle and the tumult.
-Inscription upon the Shield of Herakles
STR: Rank B (4 Dice)
MAG: Rank B (4 Dice)
AGI: Rank B (4 Dice)
VIT: Rank F (0 Dice)
CHT: Rank F (0 Dice)
Weakness: Bless, Slash
Null: Curse
Resist: Wind, All Status Effects
Passive: PHILEMON (use of this Persona accumulates 1 STRESS per action)
Skills:
Eigaon: Powerful Curse magic attack. If the target is hit, deals an additional 3 DAMAGE. [2SP]
Symphony of Lament: Raise a psychological barrier that blocks ONE attempted status effect. [1SP]
Deathbound: Widespread Slash physical attack. If the target is hit, deals an additional 1 DAMAGE. [1SP]
ENHANCE ARMAMENT
Adrestos and Amphios armoured in linen, sons both of Merops of Perkote, who beyond all men knew the art of propecy, and tried tried to prevent his two sons from going into the battle where men die. Yet these would not listen, for the dark Keres Thanatoio were driving them onwards.
Invitation to the Night Queen: Invoke the specter of Mother Nyx. The enemy loses one degree of CURSE resistance (Null > Resist > Neutral > Weak), receive a -2 CHT Debuff and narratively becomes afraid of death. This effect occurs without rolling dice. [2 SP]
[ ] Yomotsu-Hisame
Then Izanami no Mikoto was angry, and said:
'Why didst thou not observe that which I charged thee? Now am I put to shame.'
So she sent the eight Yomotsu-Hisame to pursue and stay him.
Izanagi no Mikoto therefore drew his sword, and, flourishing it behind him, ran away.
-Excerpt from Nihongi
STR: Rank B (4 Dice)
MAG: Rank B (4 Dice)
AGI: Rank D (2 Dice)
VIT: Rank D (2 Dice)
CHT: Rank F (0 Dice)
Weakness: Fire, Bless
Resist: Elec, Curse, All Physical
Passive: PHILEMON (use of this Persona accumulates 1 STRESS per action)
Skills:
Nigayomogi: Widespread Pierce magic attack. If the target is hit, they become poisoned. [2SP]
Kuro Ikazuchi: Attacks twice, first an Elec magic attack, then a Curse magic attack. [3SP]
Evil Smile: Enemy target suffers immediate +1 DISADVANTAGE on their next offensive action. [1SP]
ENHANCE ARMAMENT
Then he took his black head-dress and flung it down. It became changed into grapes, which the Yomotsu-Hisame seeing, took and ate. When they had finished eating them, they again pursued Izanagi-no-Mikoto. Then he flung down his many-toothed comb, which forthwith became changed into bamboo-shoots. The Yomotsu-Hisame pulled them up and ate them, and when they had done eating them, again gave chase.
Invitation to Thousand Curses: Invoke the specter of Izanami-no-Okami. The enemy target chooses one of the following effects:
1) It immediately dies.
2) An ally immediately dies.
3) Lux's Party regains 5 HP apiece.
4) Lux's Party regains 5 SP apiece.
[2 SP]
[ ] Archon
Yadabaoth united with the thoughtlessness within him.
He begot Archons,
Modeling them on the incorruptible realms above.
He made the first seven Archons to reign in the seven spheres of heaven.
He made the next five Archons to reign in the five depths of the abyss.
He shared a portion of his fire with them,
But shared none of the power of Light he had received from his mother.
-Excerpt from The Apocryphon of John
STR: Rank D (2 Dice)
MAG: Rank C (3 Dice)
AGI: Rank D (2 Dice)
VIT: Rank C (3 Dice)
CHT: Rank F (0 Dice)
Weakness: Curse, Blunt, Psy
Resist: All Magic
Passive: PHILEMON (use of this Persona accumulates 1 STRESS per action)
Skills:
Freidyne: Powerful Nuclear magic attack. If the target is hit, deals an additional 3 DAMAGE. [1SP]
Divine Apex: Generates immediate +1 ADVANTAGE on your next attack. [1SP]
False Apotheosis: Your party recovers 3SP immediately. All party members (including yourself) must succeed vs an opposed CHT roll versus you (yes, you have to roll against yourself). Party members that lose are afflicted with -2 VIT and -2 MAG debuff for a number of Phases equal to the degree to which they lost the CHT roll. [Free]
ENHANCE ARMAMENT
This ruler, by being androgynous, made himself a vast realm, an endless precinct. And he contemplated creating offspring for himself, and created seven offspring, androgynous like their parent. And he said to his offspring, 'I am the god of all.'
Invitation to the Holy Grail: Invoke the specter of Yaldabaoth. All party members regenerate 2HP/SP per turn, including the turn of this activation. All party members receive the «Supply Lines» buff that continuously regenerates 2HP/SP per turn. The «Supply Lines» can be targeted by your enemies; if severed, this effect ends. «Supply Lines» have 1 HP, 4 AGI, 0 VIT. [0 SP]
Don't worry about the turn by turn. Next chapter is effectively just one turn, the turn where you call out for your first ally. Once we've determined that the actual fight begins.
In summary:
I need your FOOL PERSONA choice.
I need PERSONA ROSTER.
And the person you call out to.
No need for a PLAN vote, I'll calculate all the votes separately.
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Ferb_Ancos
The one under the table
- Pronouns
- He
Fool Persona
[] Keres
[X] Archon
I just saw that Armament, is actually pretty good.
[X] Persona Roster
-[X] Magdalene
-[X] Urvashi
-[X] Alice Lidell
-[X] Undine
-[X] Putana
Magdalene (I don't want to accumulate more stress really so I am changin Kah. Besides, with our team's equipment destroyed, our only way to heal anyone is ourselves)
Urvashi (I bet he still can use Charm-like abilities, so the jewel will be needed)
Alice Lidell (Good DPS with magic)
Undine (Is a well-rounded one)
Putana (Collapse and I want to try and apply him poison)
[X] Call out to Shiroe.
[] Keres
[X] Archon
I just saw that Armament, is actually pretty good.
[X] Persona Roster
-[X] Magdalene
-[X] Urvashi
-[X] Alice Lidell
-[X] Undine
-[X] Putana
Magdalene (I don't want to accumulate more stress really so I am changin Kah. Besides, with our team's equipment destroyed, our only way to heal anyone is ourselves)
Urvashi (I bet he still can use Charm-like abilities, so the jewel will be needed)
Alice Lidell (Good DPS with magic)
Undine (Is a well-rounded one)
Putana (Collapse and I want to try and apply him poison)
[X] Call out to Shiroe.
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ThatGuyWithIdeas
Treize died for our sins
- Location
- Romania
[X] Archon
[X] Persona Roster
-[X] Magdalene
-[X] Urvashi
-[X] Alice Lidell
-[X] Undine
-[X] Putana
[X] Call out to Shiroe.
For the Fool Persona choice, since those Personas work just like the Chaos Personas, we want something that can have significant effects when used, so that the Stress increase is worth. To that end, I'm more partial towards taking Yomotsu-Hisame or Archon (Archon is especially useful since we can pop its Enhance Armament and it will be a significant contribution to any fight, for just 1 Stress).
As for who to call out to... Shiroe. He's the most important member of our party and one who provided a lot of help in reaching this point, and I think we want to get him back here, since his insight is just what we may need to finish this fight.
[X] Persona Roster
-[X] Magdalene
-[X] Urvashi
-[X] Alice Lidell
-[X] Undine
-[X] Putana
[X] Call out to Shiroe.
For the Fool Persona choice, since those Personas work just like the Chaos Personas, we want something that can have significant effects when used, so that the Stress increase is worth. To that end, I'm more partial towards taking Yomotsu-Hisame or Archon (Archon is especially useful since we can pop its Enhance Armament and it will be a significant contribution to any fight, for just 1 Stress).
As for who to call out to... Shiroe. He's the most important member of our party and one who provided a lot of help in reaching this point, and I think we want to get him back here, since his insight is just what we may need to finish this fight.
I guess I lost my bet…
I'm not sure what the best option for our persons roster would be, but I'm sure that the fool persona I think is best is Archon. Keres does look cool though.
[X] Archon
We're probably not voting for Gwen first since she's not incapacitated like Shiroe or Yuuki. I'm thinking Yuuki would be best, because she would act as a full party member instead of a nav, and Shiroe seemed pretty reliant on ALO stuff. Still, we don't know what Shiroe's incarnation skill is, although it sounds like some sort of debugging power. I'm going to hold off for now.
I'm not sure what the best option for our persons roster would be, but I'm sure that the fool persona I think is best is Archon. Keres does look cool though.
[X] Archon
We're probably not voting for Gwen first since she's not incapacitated like Shiroe or Yuuki. I'm thinking Yuuki would be best, because she would act as a full party member instead of a nav, and Shiroe seemed pretty reliant on ALO stuff. Still, we don't know what Shiroe's incarnation skill is, although it sounds like some sort of debugging power. I'm going to hold off for now.
[X] Archon
[X] Call out to Gwen.
[X] Persona Roster
-[X] Magdalene
-[X] Urvashi
-[X] Alice Lidell
-[X] Undine
-[X] Putana
Thought about substituting Mithras Liturgy, since we don't know what awakening a party member actually DOES, and we'd have no other source of buffs if it doesn't work how we think it works, but this roster seems fine.
Going for Gwen instead of Shiroe because it seems like it might give us our weapons back?
[X] Call out to Gwen.
[X] Persona Roster
-[X] Magdalene
-[X] Urvashi
-[X] Alice Lidell
-[X] Undine
-[X] Putana
Thought about substituting Mithras Liturgy, since we don't know what awakening a party member actually DOES, and we'd have no other source of buffs if it doesn't work how we think it works, but this roster seems fine.
Going for Gwen instead of Shiroe because it seems like it might give us our weapons back?
- Location
- The Z-Cave
Yeah, Clonerito would have been the closest to the typical Persona protagonist.
Kayaba's definitely using the normal Arcana.
I'm guessing that Philemon's been advising you and filling in the gaps which means that unlike Shido and Adachi you have full understanding of what's going on.
A world where you never entered SAO.
A world where you were a clearer, beloved by all, hero of the front lines.
A world where you a punisher of evil, protecting the innocents from knives in the dark.
A world where Meimi was safe.
A world where Rossa was alive.
A world where you can finally be... happy.I AM THOU, THOU ART I.
I DREAMT I WAS A BUTTERFLY. FLUTTERING, FREE AND HAPPY.
WHEN I AWOKE, I WAS MYSELF AGAIN. COLD, TIRED AND MISERABLE.
WAS I DREAMING THAT I WAS THE BUTTERFLY, OR WAS THE BUTTERFLY DREAMING THAT IT WAS ME?
AND IF THERE IS NO ANSWER, WHY SHOULDN'T I CHOOSE TO BE THE BUTTERFLY?
TO SGRANT YOU WINGS TO REACH THE HEAVENS
The temptation of the apple of Eden.
I think I know what's going on. The 'hero' defeated and alone, calling out with the power of friendship to all the bonds he made along the way to defeat a godly threat.
This is a endgame World/Universe Persona summoning.
For once, Yuuki isn't having fun. Have a taste of reality.
I was right, a Persona. The scariest thing about a HEAVEN. Growing as a person without improving morally the most dangerous kind of Persona user.
Yeah and because of that we also don't have to do what you want either, Phil.
[X] Archon
And because of that we're gonna take your gift, specifically the one who wants to turn everyone into a boring salaryman!
[X] Call out to Shiroe.
Shiroe has been the one who's been carrying this team on his back so I really think we owe him this and 'enchanting' sounds a lot like buffing to me which could shore up our loss of stat boosts.
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You know, now that I think about Kayaba calling Hiyori/Lux worthless, it doesn't really mesh with his messiah complex, does it?
He still seems to apply main character syndrome by proxy.
I mean, even though he thinks everyone should have their own HEAVEN, he still...well, judges people, and quite harshly at that. Contrast what he thinks of Hiyori/Lux vs Sugou.
Kind of hypocritical of him, isn't it?
He still seems to apply main character syndrome by proxy.
I mean, even though he thinks everyone should have their own HEAVEN, he still...well, judges people, and quite harshly at that. Contrast what he thinks of Hiyori/Lux vs Sugou.
Kind of hypocritical of him, isn't it?
- Location
- The Z-Cave
I checked wikipedia on Alberich and I found something interesting.
His name means "ruler of supernatural beings (elves)", and is equivalent to Old French Auberon (English Oberon).
Sugou has become the real Oberon now. That is a deep cut.
His name means "ruler of supernatural beings (elves)", and is equivalent to Old French Auberon (English Oberon).
Sugou has become the real Oberon now. That is a deep cut.
- Location
- The Sea of Souls
Don't give me too much credit. Alberich is the name of Sugou's SAO avatar in the gameversr.
- Location
- Chicago
- Pronouns
- She/They
Oh yes. It feels like he's got a deliberate blindspot here, in that he refuses to acknowledge that his dream was worse than reality for those within it, and so he has to dehumanize the victims. He can't accept that Lux is the consequences of his choices, so he has to deny that she is worth acknowledging.
Ferb_Ancos
The one under the table
- Pronouns
- He
Question, what would have happened if the roll failed? The arc would have ended right there?