Chapter 486 - 474: Cage
Chapter 486: Chapter 474: Cage
In the night sky, brilliant fireworks made of Magic Runes burst one after another, showering the city in a rain of light and illuminating the entire Floating City as if it were day.
Today was the fourth-anniversary celebration of *Sword Art Online*’s launch, and even the system shops were having a sale.
In Aincrad, the Central Square of the Town of Origin was abuzz with activity. Players raised mugs of ale, their loud laughter and chatter creating a festive atmosphere.
"Did you hear? The Blood Alliance Knight Order and the Holy Dragon Alliance teamed up and finally took down the ninety-first floor’s boss, the ’Skeletal Tyrant,’ yesterday!"
"Of course! The forums are blowing up! I heard the battle was absolutely epic, a real world-shaker! Only nine more floors to go until we reach the legendary one-hundredth floor!"
"At this rate, I bet we’ll clear the whole game in six months, tops!"
"An Eternal Body... You guys think the reward for clearing the game is real?"
"Of course it is! You dare question the credibility of Lord Wesley?"
"Heh, I’m more excited about the real-world rewards. I heard everyone on the frontline clearing team gets a property in Golden Stone City."
Laughter, cheers, and the clinking of glasses mingled together.
The Town of Origin had never been so lively.
In four years, it had transformed from a simple starter village into the most bustling commercial hub in the entire virtual world.
Taverns, auction houses, and guild halls lined the streets. NPC merchants and player-run stalls were packed together, creating a palpable, bustling energy.
Every face beamed with hope and aspiration for the future. This world held so many of their dreams and joys.
But in that moment, everything changed.
Without warning, all the Magic fireworks froze in mid-air. The entire sky began to pulse with an ominous red light.
The clamor in the square died instantly.
Everyone looked up in shock at the ominous, blood-red sky. A chill ran straight down their spines.
"What the hell? Is this a special anniversary event?" a player muttered instinctively, attempting to open their system menu.
He held out his right hand and swiped lightly through the air.
A pale blue screen popped up as usual, but in the bottom-right corner, the [Log Out] button—an icon everyone knew intimately—was flickering, replaced by a block of garbled text.
"My log out button... is broken?"
His voice trembled.
Hearing this, his companion at the next table quickly swiped his own menu open.
The next second, a wave of shocked gasps completely drowned out the celebratory laughter.
"Mine too!"
"What’s going on? I can’t get out!"
As millions of horrified players watched, the block of garbled text flickered erratically before being wiped away by an invisible hand.
The [Log Out] button was gone.
Panic spread like a plague from the Town of Origin. Floor One, Floor Seven, Floor Twenty-two, Floor Fifty... all one hundred floors of Aincrad descended into chaos at once.
Just then, in the center of the blood-red sky, a colossal, humanoid silhouette began to form.
He was cloaked in stars, his features indistinct, and he radiated an aura of majesty so powerful it made every soul tremble.
It was the creator of this world: Allen Wesren.
A voice, devoid of all emotion, echoed through every corner of Aincrad.
"Greetings, players. I am Allen Wesren."
"As you have seen, an unforeseen storm originating from the depths of the Magic Sea has just breached Aincrad’s core game-engine firewall, causing partial damage to the game servers."
"The core code for the logout function has been irreversibly damaged. Despite my best efforts, I have been unable to devise a solution."
"There is only one way to leave here."
The silhouette raised its hand, pointing toward the unreachable summit of the Floating City.
"Clear the game."
"Defeat the final boss on the one-hundredth floor. At that point, the logout function will be re-enabled for everyone."
"In the meantime, your physical bodies will be sustained by the minimal life support systems of your hibernation pods. This support has a limit of one month."
"Thirty days from now, if the logout function has not been restored... your physical bodies will die as their power supplies are exhausted."
"Myself and those in the outside world will do everything we can to rescue you, but the power to act is in your hands."
"For the sake of your own lives, I urge you to clear the game as quickly as possible."
As his words faded, the silhouette vanished, and the blood-red sky receded along with it.
The sky returned to normal, but the world was now plunged into a deathly silence.
Then came the eruption.
"Impossible!" "Let me out!" "What the hell is this!"
Cries, curses, and hysterical screams erupted in an instant.
Some repeatedly opened their system menus, others screamed the "Force Logout" voice command into the empty air, and still others simply collapsed to the ground in despair.
...
「The Real World. Aiselan Royal Capital.」
Inside the royal palace’s council chamber, King William’s eyes were bloodshot. He glared at the specially-made Spirit Communication Terminal before him and roared, "Lord Allen! What in the world is going on? Across the country... over five million hibernation pods are flashing red!"
On the screen of the Spirit Communication Terminal, Allen’s image appeared weary, and his voice was grave.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. This was an accident—a chain reaction triggered by a cataclysmic Magic Power tide, the likes of which hasn’t been seen in centuries."
"The Magic Power tide interfered with the foundational logic Runes in the hibernation pods, triggering a security lockdown. Now, everyone’s consciousness is trapped inside the virtual world."
William sank back onto his throne, muttering, "Then... what are we supposed to do?"
"I have temporarily stabilized the framework of the virtual world."
Allen’s voice left no room for debate. "Right now, the most critical part is the real world. Your Majesty, I need you to issue a royal decree to the entire nation immediately."
"Forbid anyone, under any circumstances, from forcibly opening the hibernation pods or cutting off their Magic Power supply!"
"Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable!"
By exploiting the information gap, Allen had perfectly disguised his meticulously planned experiment as a natural disaster.
The royal announcement spread throughout the nation at top speed.
However, there would always be those whose panic overrode their reason.
「Golden Stone City, a marquis’s estate in the western district.」
A lavishly dressed nobleman stared, his eyes bloodshot, at the hibernation pod flashing red in the center of the room. Lying inside was his only heir.
"I don’t give a damn about some stupid announcement! My son is supposed to inherit my title, he can’t just lie here!"
He ignored the desperate pleas of the Physician and his butler, ordering the two High-tier Knights behind him.
"Smash it open! Now!"
The Knights exchanged a look and drew their longswords.
CLANG! CLANG!
Under the furious assault, the pod’s sturdy Alchemy shell emitted a grating screech before finally shattering with a crash.
The pod’s lid sprang open.
The nobleman rushed forward, looking at his son’s serene face inside. He reached out a trembling hand to check for breath under his nose.
His breathing was steady.
His heartbeat was strong.
"Wake up! Please, wake up!" the nobleman cried, shaking his son’s body frantically.
But the young heir’s eyes remained tightly shut, completely unresponsive.
The family Physician, his face deathly pale, rushed forward and began running diagnostics with various Alchemy Instruments.
After a long moment, he lowered the instruments. He swayed on his feet and, in a horrified tone as if he had just seen a ghost, announced the diagnosis to the Marquis.
"Lord Marquis... your son’s body... all of his vital functions are... completely normal."
"But..."
"His consciousness... has vanished completely."
"He has become... a soulless vessel."
The Physician didn’t dare speak the words "vegetative state," but everyone present understood.
The same tragedy played out in hundreds of locations across the kingdom within the next hour.
As these gruesome truths spread across the nation via the Spirit Communication network, they utterly terrified any family members who had been harboring similar hopes.
Fear overcame concern.
Millions of citizens were plunged into an unprecedented despair. They could only watch as their loved ones lay in the cold hibernation pods, now too afraid to even touch them.
Their only hope rested with the players trapped inside the game, hoping they could perform a miracle and clear it within one month.
「Cybertron, Main Control Room.」
Allen’s gaze was profound as he calmly watched it all unfold.
[Countdown: Thirty Days—Full-Scale Consciousness Upload Experiment, officially initiated.]