Chapter 455: The United Blackwatch

Chapter 455: Chapter 455: The United Blackwatch

Chapter 455: The United Blackwatch

"Hmm..."

Miwa Ashikaga took a deep breath.

Even someone like her, who had endured countless dangerous situations, could not remain completely calm when faced with a moment that might determine the fate of the entire world.

Her palms were already damp with sweat.

"So the plan to reveal the truth behind SAO..."

"We begin now?"

"Just as we agreed from the start."

Asagiri walked toward the window and looked outside.

The sky should have been clear.

Instead, enormous portions of it had already been consumed by traces of the void.

From Asagiri’s perspective, the sight resembled the beginning of the apocalypse.

And yet...

Most ordinary people in this world could not perceive any of it.

"First, have the officials release an announcement."

"Then arrange for Players to appear in cities across the country and publicly demonstrate their supernatural abilities."

"After roughly twenty four hours, release the final piece of information."

"The existence of Shadow and the other Players."

Asagiri’s eyes remained fixed on the ruined sky.

"We’ll become the only hope people can cling to once despair sets in."

"This really is the end, isn’t it...?"

Miwa Ashikaga murmured.

Regardless of which side won the coming battle, this Death Game would finally reach its conclusion.

She raised her head and looked toward Asagiri.

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"Utsunomiya Asagiri."

"You’re the most outstanding student I’ve ever met."

Asagiri merely waved his hand and chuckled.

"Don’t suddenly get sentimental."

"You weren’t interested in me during the Game anyway."

"A mature older woman is great, but you’re already entering auntie territory. A little too ripe for me."

"You..."

Miwa Ashikaga’s expression immediately darkened.

"You really never change."

Before she could properly get angry, however, Asagiri had already vanished from the room.

Chibi Mita remained standing atop the desk with both hands planted on her hips.

She let out a tiny chirp, like a little bird.

"Player has gone to another world."

"I know..."

Miwa Ashikaga drew another deep breath.

The hesitation in her eyes disappeared.

She picked up her phone and dialed a number.

The moment the call connected, she spoke without hesitation.

"Begin revealing the truth behind the Death Game."

...

At the same time.

Asagiri, already crossing into the other world, once again found himself surrounded by the dark red mist representing the System.

This time, however, there was no Dungeon introduction.

No objective.

No rules.

Only a few brief words appeared before him.

[I believe in you.]

"Then believe."

Asagiri answered lightly.

"Belief doesn’t need a reason."

The dark red mist slowly dispersed.

Golden light erupted from his eyes.

In the next instant, the equipment he wore as Shadow covered his body.

He appeared in the middle of a street.

The surroundings remained pitch black and dim, almost exactly as they had been the last time he entered this world.

There was one important difference.

A dark red fissure now stretched across the sky.

"So the size of the crack is roughly the same as the one in our world..."

Asagiri raised his head and studied it.

He quickly formed a rough theory.

Nyx’s so called invasion likely worked through this fissure.

It was not simply entering another world.

It was dragging two worlds toward each other and forcibly merging them.

Even the System governing the Death Game could not accomplish something on that scale.

At most, the System could allow selected individuals to cross between different worlds.

It possessed no overwhelming destructive power of its own.

And certainly nothing capable of directly contesting Nyx.

At that moment, numerous figures emerged from the darkness around him.

Blackwatch soldiers dressed in black tactical equipment surrounded Asagiri from every direction.

More than a hundred.

Every one of them carried firearms.

"It’s you again."

Despite being completely surrounded, Asagiri remained relaxed.

Not simply because he had absolute confidence in his own strength.

He had already noticed something.

Although the Blackwatch soldiers held their weapons ready, none of them were aiming directly at him.

Their fingers were not on the triggers.

There was no clear intent to attack.

"Mr. Shadow."

A man stepped out from among them.

His equipment differed slightly from the others.

He wore a tight black tactical suit, with only a pair of night vision goggles instead of the full tactical helmet worn by most Blackwatch soldiers.

The Commander looked directly at Asagiri.

"You came here because of Nyx, didn’t you?"

"Oh?"

Asagiri raised an eyebrow.

"You can actually say that name?"

His voice remained calm.

"I thought everyone in this world was cursed."

"The moment someone remembered the truth and Nyx noticed, their body would immediately melt."

The Blackwatch Commander paused.

Apparently, he had not expected Asagiri to describe humanity’s curse so directly.

Then he nodded.

"You’re correct."

"Every human in this world has been placed under Nyx’s curse."

"But some Players were chosen by the System and obtained enough power to partially break free from those restraints."

"My subordinates and I belong to that group."

"Is that so?"

Asagiri nodded without much reaction.

His gaze moved across the Blackwatch soldiers surrounding him before returning to their Commander.

"Since you’ve recovered the truth and understand that this world is controlled by Nyx, then you should also understand something else."

"This world may already be beyond saving."

"The humans still living here..."

"Most of you may eventually die."

"We understand."

The Blackwatch Commander answered immediately.

There was no hesitation in his voice.

Only calm determination.

"Whatever happens to us in the end, Nyx must be eliminated."

"If our deaths are necessary for humanity to survive..."

"Then that is exactly why Blackwatch exists."

"So you’re prepared to sacrifice yourselves?"

Asagiri was not surprised.

Blackwatch had never been an ordinary military organization.

They had committed countless morally repulsive acts.

During the early stages of the Game, they had unquestionably played the role of villains.

But the soldiers themselves possessed something rare.

They did not fear death.

Their discipline, courage, and willingness to carry out missions even at the cost of their own lives were far beyond what most ordinary people could endure.

Even when facing death directly, they would not beg for mercy.

Asagiri had already confirmed that personally through battle.

"Yes."

The Blackwatch Commander nodded.

Then his expression grew heavier.

"But..."

"It’s only us."

"The moment you entered this world, the System sent a notification to the Players who had managed to break free from Nyx’s control."

"But most Blackwatch personnel are still trapped beneath its influence."

"You’ve fought us enough times to know what that means."

"Even I wouldn’t be able to persuade them."

Asagiri immediately understood.

He waved one hand dismissively.

"Those who can’t break free from Nyx’s control won’t be useful to us anyway."

"Since you came to meet me personally, I assume you have something more valuable than that to share."

"Yes."

The Blackwatch Commander nodded.

"But first, can we move somewhere safer?"

"This world is filled with Cursed dangers."

"And recently, there have also been..."

Before he could finish, the ground in the distance suddenly trembled.

A deep rumbling rolled down the street.

Then...

Something enormous burst from beneath the earth.

A massive black shadow surged toward them at astonishing speed.

"So they’re here..."

Vigilance instantly appeared in the Commander’s eyes.

He raised his voice.

"Third Squad, engage and buy us time!"

"Everyone else, cover Mr. Shadow’s retreat..."

"No need."

Asagiri interrupted him calmly.

By now, he could clearly see the approaching creature.

It resembled a gigantic dragon.

But its entire body was covered in writhing black organic matter.

Most likely...

A forbidden ancient dragon monster fused with the Blacklight Virus.

"Persona."

Asagiri’s expression did not change.

He raised his right hand.

An ethereal Tarot card bearing the image of The Chariot descended from the darkness above.

His fingers closed around it.

Crack.

"Ruiner Nergigante."

"Bang!"

The massive Ruiner Nergigante appeared with explosive force.

The instant it materialized, its jaws were already open.

Its enormous fangs sank directly into the neck of the Blacklight Virus dragon.

The muscles across Ruiner Nergigante’s body swelled.

Its black spikes bristled violently.

With terrifying raw strength, it slammed the other monster into the ground beneath it.

Then its jaws tightened.

"CRUNCH!"

The dragon’s neck was brutally torn apart.

Ruiner Nergigante lowered its head and immediately began devouring the Blacklight Virus infused flesh in enormous mouthfuls.

"Alright."

Asagiri turned away.

"Let’s go."

The entire battle had ended almost instantly.

The Blackwatch soldiers stood frozen.

So did their Commander.

They stared at Asagiri, who had not even personally moved from his position.

Shock and disbelief appeared across their faces.

They had always known Shadow was powerful.

But...

Wasn’t this a little too much?

That monster had been dangerous enough that they were prepared to sacrifice an entire squad merely to delay it.

Yet one creature summoned by Shadow had killed it in seconds.

If it was him...

Perhaps Nyx truly could be destroyed.

...

Half an hour later, inside an underground Blackwatch base.

Asagiri stood before a table covered in intelligence reports.

His gaze moved across the documents before him.

"So the major threats in this world are the Blackwatch forces still controlled by Nyx..."

"Humans and monsters infected or fused with the Blacklight Virus..."

"Special Infected..."

"And cultists who worship those so called gods."

"Correct."

The Blackwatch Commander nodded.

Then his jaw tightened.

"Nyx deliberately left part of humanity alive."

"Those who remain afraid of death continuously provide it with power."

"As for Blackwatch soldiers like us, people who don’t fear death..."

His hands slowly clenched into fists.

"Nyx rewrote our beliefs."

"It made us believe we were fighting to save this world."

"When in reality..."

"We were only creating stronger weapons for it."

"Weapons Nyx could use to invade other worlds..."

"And force the people there to live beneath the same shadow of death."

....

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