The Red Player (A Sword Art Online story)

Chapter 15: Bloodrush

Chapter 15: Bloodrush

Piifalo

Daisuke sits down in a crouched position and sighs. I fall backward and gasp for air, thinking about what I had just done. “Do you understand now? It is necessary to kill, in order to protect.”

I breathe heavily and shake my head, unsure of what to say. What just happened? For a moment, I smiled. I smiled as I killed it. I know that it wasn’t a real player, but in my mind it felt real, yet I killed it with joy in my heart. I felt... strong.

Daisuke hangs his head in disappointment. “Dissemble your happiness no longer, you saved hundreds of people killing one person, don’t you feel good?”

I flinch at his words, knowing in my heart - that instant, it really did feel good. It felt amazing to smash him, to be strong! I felt like a hero! But still…

Daisuke stands up, showing his aggravation. “I guess I’ll just have to increase the feeling for you then.” He slides his left hand down in space, opening his menu. From there he navigates to a place in the menu I had never seen before, and with the touch of a button, a person spawns, just a normal NPC, but there’s something strapped to his chest.

Before I can get closer to look four more people spawn in a half circle around him, tied together. I look to Daisuke confused, but he smiles. “Strapped to the chest of the player in the middle is a very real bomb with enough power to destroy all life on this island. The only way to disarm the bomb is to kill him. While those players may not be real, the bomb is definitely real. If you don’t disarm it then you, the savior of SAO, will die.”

I step back in horror. Again? What is he trying to accomplish with this? He’s just keeps making me kill things to ‘protect’ others! But at the same time I have to kill others to do so…  He even goes as far as to purposely call the NPC’s players too! I look to Daisuke, heavily panicked and panting hard.

Daisuke smiles and lets loose a hearty laugh. “You’d better hurry! You only have 20 more seconds to kill him!” A small whimper escapes my body which I hoped Daisuke hadn’t heard but sure enough he laughs in spite of me once more. “Don’t hesitate, but especially don’t show cowardice, hero to be!”

I push myself forward, and I feel my face grow hot. Every step I take I come closer to the cowering eyes of those around him, but most of all I come closer to the face of the one holding the bomb, who cries out in fear, begging for his life. If I don’t kill him, not only will I die, but so will those for innocents! But even then… do I have to kill him to do it?

I’m finally within range of ending the life of the man holding the bomb, but the look in his eyes makes it feel like I’m the one being stabbed.

I raise devotion above my head, and take a final look into his eyes. He lets out a scream begging for mercy, praying for the god that wouldn’t save him. I shut my eyes as tight as I can, hoping to keep the tears inside, while my blade slams into the top of his skull, and he disappears into a mass of rigid shards of glass.

Immediately I throw my Devotion across the sand, and fall to my knees. I can’t stop myself from throwing up into the dry sand and crying. Everything I held inside since Daisuke pulled me away from Ashas explodes within me, and my emotions tear me apart from the inside. In my hands I could still feel my blade running through his body, and I wish I could sever them from my arms. Was it necessary? Did any of this have to happen? What am I even doing here… where is Ashas…? I fall into the sand, hopeless and exhausted.

Daisuke walks over to me as I lay in the burning sand.  He smiles as he stands above me, blocking out the setting sun from my eyes. “Yes, Piifalo. It was necessary,” he says with a laugh. “All of this was necessary. Akihiko Kayaba chose you because of your burning passion. You are the only one with a will that’s strong enough to save the people in this game! As for Ashas, I moved her safely away from that volcano to a hotel. I also disabled her ability to use teleport crystals to get to you. At this point she would only interfere with your progress. It is up to you, and you alone to protect the people in here! Speaking of which, I believe you forgot to say something as you killed the man that threatened to destroy this island…”

My heart skips a beat, and I immediately feel myself become sick again. The world spins around me as I search in vain for salvation. “No…” I say with a thin voice. “Please… don’t make me do it… someone... help me…”

“As a punishment,” He says with a spirit crushing expression. “You will do this test again, but I know that you won’t forget to say it this time. You will do this test as many times as I tell you to - until the fear and regret leaves your eyes.”

 Daisuke points his bo staff at my face and commands me to get up. Tears run down my face freely, and I have no intention of holding them back anymore. I crawl up to my knees and sit. He hands Devotion to me, but I let it fall beside me. At the moment I don’t know if I would have the strength to pick it up even if I wanted to.

Daisuke opens his menu and spawns the same NPC’s as last time. 25 seconds count down from the bomb on the man’s chest.

The man shouts my name desperately, begging for me to save him, but I force myself to look away with closed eyes. “If you don’t move soon, you really will die,” Daisuke laughs.

Suddenly everything is silent. Not a single thing on the island dares to make a noise. Even the man with the bomb is quiet for my solitary ballad of pain. The only things I can hear are the voices in my head, the ones I’ve fought for so long. They’re screaming at each other. “Don’t do it!” they say. “Save yourself!”

But the others say that “There are still innocents! Save them and yourself!” the voices tear apart what’s left of my sanity. I claw away at my mind, as I internalize the pain from the world around me. At the end of it all there is only one voice left. It’s the voice that won - the voice that killed the others. Its the voice that Daisuke wanted to win. “Kill him.” It says. “It’s for the greater good. Kill him…”

My eyes snap open, revealing a world of blood red. Combat Reflexes pause time completely. In front of me is the man with the bomb that has only one second remaining. Without hesitation I grab my Devotion and stab him through the heart with ease.

“Hogosuru.” I rip the blade back out and return to my seat in the sand before color returns to the world, and the NPC disappears into a whirlwind of glass.

That was quite the blood rush, I think to myself, emotionlessly. I understand now. That voice, it was the truth. I am here to save the people trapped in this game, because I am the strongest. I am stronger than everyone else, and that’s why I killed him. If I didn’t kill him then I would have died, and then no one would ever leave this game. The voices in my head… they’re gone. The only one that’s left is the one that say to kill – to protect. I am the most important player in this game. If I die then it’s over. By protecting myself, then I’m protecting everyone – no matter what the cost.

Daisuke sits back in shock. “So fast…” he whispers in shock. “Both physically and psychologically. He moved so fast I didn’t even see him. Not only that but just a moment ago he barely wanted to touch the bomber, but just then he killed him mercilessly.”

“I don’t care if you planted this idea in my head, because I know that it’s true. I realized that as the final voice in my head told me to. It said to kill him because if I did, then I would save everyone. The voice had always been in my head. Before I met Ashas I would kill anyone – no matter what because I wanted to survive. All you did was bring it back, only stronger.”

“It is amazing how fast the human mind can change as they realize the truth. You need not do the test again. You’re ready now. You’re ready to save everyone.”

End of chapter 15. That. Was. Hard. As. Hell. To. Write. Seriously,

I tried to use words that would give the text deeper meaning like

“Him” instead of “it” and keeping the characters consistent was a

Challenge as well, idk if I even did that right though. I had inspiration from Tokyo Ghoul and Hunter x Hunter.