On that day, the players staying at the World Tree Fortress were startled by the sudden, low thrum of dozens of engines. They scrambled to their windows, peering out at the horizon.
"Hey, look at that..."
"The Genji Army? Why now?"
"Wait, look—Zexceed's group is with them!"
"Those two squads are like oil and water. If they're working together, something massive is about to go down."
Moments later, an announcement in Shana's voice echoed through the halls of the fortress.
"Sorry for the commotion. Some of you might have seen the report on MMO Today recently—it looks like that event is finally about to trigger. For those of you who happen to be here, I hope you're ready for some fun."
The crowd erupted in a roar of excitement.
Among them was a player named Shirley. She belonged to the KKHC (Northern Country Hunters Club), a squadron that shunned Player Killing in favor of the monster grind. True to her name, her real-life counterpart was a hunter and tour guide in Hokkaido. She had hitched a ride with an acquaintance to stay at the base for several days, specifically to catch this event. As a sniper herself, she held a keen interest in Shana and Sinon; she had intentionally split from her usual teammates to travel to this stronghold alone.
Another player who had made a similar move was Clarence.
"If I'm lucky, I might finally get close to Shana," she mused. "But hey, if it doesn't work out, I'll settle for the loot."
Though Clarence had a masculine avatar, she was a woman in reality. Her personality was, to put it mildly, abrasive—she was like a distilled concentrate of Pitohui's worst traits, or perhaps a mirror of who Pitohui used to be. She had bounced between several teams and was avoided by most of the player base. Self-serving as ever, she had been camping out at the World Tree Fortress for days, hoping to catch Shana's eye and slip under her protection.
Meanwhile, Shinohara had managed to tag along by practically begging his acquaintance, Dyne. He was currently grouped with Sterben and Noir. A lover of machine guns, Shinohara felt this event was tailor-made for him. He had been keeping his ear to the ground for days, ready to jump the moment the rumors turned into reality. The second he'd confirmed the intel, he had bolted straight to Dyne's side.
Then there was David, who happened to be staying there with his own squad. Having once operated alongside Pitohui only to be betrayed, he was now the unofficial leader of the "Pitohui Hate Club." He had no desire to ever see her face again. While he was thrilled to participate in the event, the sight of Pitohui's silhouette outside the window made him swear a silent oath: Do not, under any circumstances, run into that woman.
By some strange twist of fate, these four would eventually cross paths in the "Squad Jam," a team-based battle royale held several times in the future. The legends who would one day make names for themselves—Pitohui, M, Eva, and the rest—were all gathering here. However, the true protagonist of that future stage—the small, pink-clad warrior—had yet to set foot in GGO.
"Hey, that's Shana."
"Yeah, I see her."
"Remember: no bloodlust. Don't even look at her with hostility."
"I know, I know. I'm fine. You're the one who actually fought her; you'd better watch yourself."
"Yeah... point taken."
Sterben and Noir spoke in low, hushed tones. Noir then glanced toward his companion.
"So, how's Spiegel doing?"
"He's aging quite nicely," Sterben replied, his voice cold. "He's currently consumed by a singular, rigid hatred for Zexceed."
"Oh? How'd you manage that?"
"A little work I did after you logged off yesterday. He is my brother, after all. He always had the... potential."
Sterben was uncharacteristically loquacious, perhaps buoyed by a dark adrenaline. He began to recount exactly what he had done to Spiegel the night before.
"Spiegel, is something bothering you lately?"
After Noir had logged off for the night, Sterben had turned abruptly to his younger brother.
"...Can you tell?" Spiegel muttered.
"Yeah. Your movements have been sluggish."
In truth, while Sterben knew Spiegel was troubled, he hadn't actually thought his performance had dropped. Claiming he was "sluggish" was the first seed of the harvest.
"I've been stuck in my head lately," Spiegel confessed. "I'm starting to wonder if my current playstyle is actually... right."
"I see. Tell me more."
Spiegel recounted the scathing things Zexceed had said to him during the recent war.
"I see. This Zexceed is nothing but trash," Sterben said flatly.
"Yeah..."
"There is nothing wrong with your doubts. Zexceed is the source of all of this. You are simply his victim."
"Yamikaze told me I should just try running at full speed... but I can't clear the fog in my head. I just don't feel like I can."
Sterben saw his opening.
"I might have some advice for you. Why don't the two of us go on a hunt? Just like old times."
"Really? Yeah... please."
From that point on, Sterben whispered the same poison into Spiegel's ear at every opportunity.
"You still seem off."
"No good. Your reflexes are visibly slower."
"I suppose this is the limit for an AGI-type build."
"That piece of trash is really making you suffer, isn't he?"
"Damn it... how can we fix this?"
Spiegel's movements, which had been perfectly fine before, began to deteriorate rapidly under the weight of his brother's suggestions. As his performance tanked, so did his mood. He spiraled into a state where he likely wouldn't have heard Yamikaze's voice even if the man shouted in his ear.
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