Journey to Planar World

Success comes to those who work hard and never give up. That quote perfectly describes Charlie at this moment.

Just as he was about to give up and spend his remaining time with Asuna, Charlie unexpectedly stumbled upon the person he was searching for—Kayaba Akihiko!

Kayaba, in the guise of his avatar Heathcliff, was fighting a group of monsters in a remote area outside the city limits.

”So, it seems Kayaba still has some pride, huh… Instead of cheating with a GM account and making himself overpowered, he chooses to level up like an ordinary player.”

”That’s fair enough. After all, playing a game with mods can quickly get boring.”

Hovering high in the air, invisible, Charlie observed Heathcliff with his Six Eyes as if he were only a few meters away.

Heathcliff’s movements were swift, his sword and shield moving in perfect harmony, showcasing exceptional combat mastery. Clearly, though a creator, Kayaba was also a skilled player.

After Heathcliff dispatched all the monsters around him, Charlie revealed himself. The air shimmered faintly as his silhouette materialized from nothing.

”Oh, you’ve finally come, invader. You’re a bit late.”

Heathcliff’s expression remained calm, showing no trace of surprise at the mysterious figure’s appearance.

”Invader… So that’s the nickname you’ve given me?” It was fitting enough. ”Back to the point, it seems you knew I was coming.”

Charlie raised an eyebrow. To him, Kayaba fell into the category of evil—trapping 10,000 people in a death game—so there was no need for pleasantries.

”Of course I knew. It’s not an exaggeration to call myself a god in this virtual world. After three Floor Bosses were defeated consecutively without any player claiming the achievement, I used my GM authority to review the replay of the boss fight scenes.”

”You know, I was shocked to see your methods, using attacks resembling magic against the Floor Bosses. Magic isn’t part of SAO’s power system. I even thought you were using a cheat program while playing.”

Heathcliff paused, observing Charlie with keen interest, like a scientist hungry for unknown knowledge.

”What’s even more surprising is that you’re not one of the ten thousand players. Honestly, it made me wonder if an outside party had managed to interfere with my masterpiece. But if that’s the case, why haven’t you hacked the system to let players log out and return to the real world? Instead, you’re always by the side of that female player, Asuna, protecting her from danger.”

”Not just you—I found two other invaders. One is a man by the side of a male player named Kirito, and the other is a woman trying to kill Asuna and Kirito.”

”So, I came to a conclusion that defies logic but makes the most sense. The three of you aren’t ordinary humans. You and the other man are part of one faction, while that woman belongs to a faction hostile to yours.”

Seeking confirmation for all his doubts, Heathcliff laid out all the speculations he had been pondering.

After a brief silence, Charlie sighed.

”This is why I hate dealing with smart people—they’re so annoying.”

Though Heathcliff had only guessed about 70% of the truth, it was impressive given how little information he had.

”So, what’s your purpose in coming to me? You’re not trying to kill me to end SAO, are you? Then why do it now and not earlier?”

”Dealing with smart people does save time. You’re right, Kayaba Akihiko. I’ve come to take your life.”

Heathcliff’s brow twitched slightly, as if analyzing every word Charlie said.

”Could it be… something unexpected happened, forcing you to leave soon? That’s why you decided to do this to free Asuna.”

”…”

Charlie’s silence was as good as confirmation. Heathcliff gave a faint smile. He had correctly guessed his opponent’s intentions.

”What a shame. I intended to play the role of the Demon King and be defeated by the hero on Floor 100 of Aincrad, the Ruby Palace. So, I won’t die here.”

As he spoke, Heathcliff opened his menu and swiftly applied various buffs to himself using his GM account.

- Immortal Objects: A durability level akin to indestructible environmental objects like walls, buildings, and monuments. This was an extreme form of game reality manipulation, making him impervious to any damage.

- Max Level: Heathcliff’s level flashed, skyrocketing to the highest achievable level in SAO.

- Holy Sword Unique Skill: He now had access to a Unique Skill meant for very high levels and specific conditions, far earlier than intended.

- Floor 100 Boss Equipment: His armor, sword, and shield now radiated an aura of immense power, equipment designed for players who reached Floor 100.

In short, Heathcliff used every resource at his disposal to face Charlie.

This was a battle he had prepared for the climax of SAO, not for now. Even so, Heathcliff didn’t hesitate to use it. After all, he didn’t know his opponent’s limits. So far, he had seen Charlie casually defeat every Floor Boss.

Better safe than sorry. So, Heathcliff entered his strongest state earlier than planned.

”Done?”

Charlie remained utterly calm, completely unfazed by all the buffs and power boosts Heathcliff had just activated.

Confidence radiated from him. He waited for his opponent to finish preparing, much like a villain in a story arrogantly waiting for the protagonist to complete their transformation.

”Thanks for your generosity, I suppose? Either you’re foolish or overly confident, letting me prepare like this.”

Drawing his sword from behind his shield, Heathcliff adopted a serious expression.

”You’ll find out soon enough, Kayaba Akihiko.”

*BUZZ!*

With Spirit Arts, Charlie materialized a sword in his right hand.

The atmosphere between them grew incredibly tense, as if it could explode at any moment.

The once-quiet bamboo forest was now filled with a chilling aura, awaiting the first second of a battle that would determine the fate of Sword Art Online.