Why Are You Guys Here?!

I still couldn’t bring myself to trust Yae just because of a quest prompt. After all, I’d been tricked before...Val had posed as an ally, only to turn out to be the dungeon boss of the third floor.

I slowly lowered Yae from my shoulders and set her back down. Without a word, I shot her a cold glance and began walking away.

“You damn blue guy! I know you’re not mute! Say something, damn it! You’re really going to leave a cute little girl like me in a creepy place like this?!” she whined, stomping her feet.

“…” I only looked back once, still cold, then kept walking.

In my mind, I wondered what would happen if I simply refused this quest. I didn’t want to make the mistake of protecting the wrong person again.

Yae burst into tears, thrashing like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum.

“I curse you! You’ll never be able to confess your feelings to the girl you love! All because you abandoned poor little Yae here! If you don’t want to be cursed, turn around right now, idiot!” Her shrill voice echoed behind me, full of anger and sorrow.

I didn’t respond. That only made her cry harder.

Just as I reached the edge of the area, intending to push deeper into the dungeon, the sound of Hollows erupted around me.

“HIHIHIHIHI!” The shrieks of twisted Hollow women.
“GRRHHHHHH!” The growl of beastlike Hollows.
“RAHAHAHAHA! Finally… found you… KILL!” The distorted voice of an Abnormal Hollow.

That last one made me freeze. Hollows weren’t supposed to speak so clearly.

They lunged forward all at once. At first I thought they were after me, and I unsheathed my blade, [CircuitCleaver], ready to strike. But then I realized—most of them were rushing past me. I wasn’t their target.

Their real prey was behind me.

Yae.

“NOOOO!” she screamed, curling into herself as the Hollows closed in. Her small body trembled violently, tears streaming down her face. She was terrified, utterly hopeless.

My chest tightened. The sight dragged up memories I’d tried to bury—the children caught in GOD 404’s attack on Tokyo Plaza. The way they huddled in fear, crying for parents who would never come back. Yae looked exactly the same.

The Hollows were about to tear into her.

“Damn it!” I surged forward, EtherCode blazing. “[Lightning Steps]!”

In less than a heartbeat, I was in front of her. My blade swept out in a storm of arcs. “[Lightning Tornado Slash]!”

BAM!

A storm of electric blades ripped through the Hollows in every direction, stopping them cold. Yae was untouched, safe behind me. I felt her tiny arms wrap around my back, clutching me tightly. She was shaking so badly I could feel it through my clothes.

I clenched my jaw. How could I even think of abandoning a child to this? Whether she was friend or foe didn’t matter anymore. I would protect her.

But the Hollows weren’t finished. My strike had only paralyzed them briefly. They were already pushing to rise again.

“Stupid blue man! You can’t even beat them, can you?!” Yae sniffled, wiping her snot on my hoodie.

“What did you say earlier? Revoke your damn curse or I won't save you..” My voice was cold.

She seemed to get the message, sniffed one last time, and released me.

"FINE!! I'LL TAKE IT BACK! YOU CAN CONFESS YOUR FEELING TO A SOMEONE YOU LOVE IF YOU SAVE ME! SO, PLEASE BEAT THIS DAMN HOLLOWS!!" She said that with a loud shout.

I smiled slightly and told her not to stay too far away from me.

I couldn’t rely on my SystemCore here. It consumed too much CT, and I needed to save it for higher-floor bosses. My Ascension EtherCode Volta was still on cooldown as well.

That left me no choice. I had to reveal a card I’d kept hidden.

[Ascension Class Unlock!]

[You have switched from Saber to Ether Saber.]

Ether Saber. A hidden Ascension Class, branching off from the standard Saber line. Unlike Saber Masters or Duelists, Ether Saber was something entirely different, a reward I had received for being the first player to reach Level 4 in Abyss Code Online.

I’d kept it secret. If other players had found out, it would have caused chaos. But now wasn’t the time to hold back.

With Ether Saber, I could break the rule that bound every player: one EtherCode per soul. By switching, I could change mine from Volta to Aether—the Hollows’ greatest weakness.

“[EtherCode Aether Skill: Horizontal Slash of Purify]!”

A radiant arc of pure light swept across the battlefield, cutting down every Hollow within twenty meters. One by one they shattered into pixels and vanished.

When the glow faded, I slid my sword back into my inventory.

I turned and found Yae staring at me, wide-eyed and awestruck. Then, in an instant, her face lit up. She rushed over, gripping my hand with both of hers.

“WHOOOAAH! I thought you were just some dumb blue guy, but you can turn white too! No, wait—was that light magic?! From now on, I’ll call you the Mighty White Man! HAHAHA!”

“Stop giving me stupid nicknames. My name is Kyouze. Remember it, you little marmot.” I ruffled her hair, making her squeal.

“Hahaha! Fine, fine, Kyouze! Then it’s settled! You’re the personal bodyguard of cute little Yae now!” She puffed her chest proudly, pointing at me.

“I don’t want to babysit a noisy marmot like you.” I ruffled her hair again, making her squirm.

“Enough nonsense. Earlier you said light magic. That wasn’t magic, it was EtherCode. So tell me—what did you mean, and who are you really?”

“Huh? EtherCode? What’s that? That was obviously light magic! And who am I? Hmm… I don’t really know. I just know my name’s Yae, and I live here… with the others.”

“The others? What do you mean?”

“Come on, Kyouze the Bodyguard!” she grinned and tugged at my arm.

After a short walk, she stopped before what looked like a massive gravestone. Placing her hands together, she began chanting.

“O great gods above, grant your servant the power to lift all veils. [Light Barrier: Open Barrier!]!”

A dazzling light flared from her body, weaving into a dome that peeled back the fog and revealed… a hidden village.

I blinked. “This is… magic?”

“That’s right! Amazing, huh?!” she said proudly.

The village looked like an Edo-era Japanese settlement, lined with countless lanterns that gave off a mystical glow. Strangely, it wasn’t just filled with villagers in old garb. I spotted people dressed like players as well.

“Welcome to Lantern Village!” Yae announced cheerfully. “Oh, but I should warn you. Once you’re here, you might see people you know…”

I frowned, not understanding what she meant. But as we walked deeper, shadows began to flicker around me, familiar shapes, faces I thought I recognized.

Then came the screams.

“PLEASE FORGIVE ME!” a man cried out.

“NOOO, DON’T GO!” a woman wailed.

“I’M SORRY… I COULDN’T SAVE YOU!” The voice of a muscle-headed idiot I knew all too well.

“No… this can’t be… You’re supposed to be dead!” Another voice. Also familiar.

The air filled with screams. Dozens, maybe hundreds.

Villagers panicked, rushing back into their homes. Yae grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the source.

“Kyouze, this is bad! I forgot to close the barrier again hahaha!"

"Stupid marmot.."

"HAHAHAHA! We’ve got intruders! But something’s off...I couldn’t sense them before. And there are hundreds of them!”

We ran together until I saw them.

The screamers were surrounded by shadows, black silhouettes tormenting them. Among them was a bulky man I recognized, trapped by two shadowy figures. Nearby, a woman was being encircled by nine.

My stomach dropped.

I knew them.

“MIKAN? ZACK??? WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!!!!”

I’d told them to stay out of the dungeon. But of course, they hadn’t listened.

Idiots!