War of Underworld

The Beginning of the Kindred Assassin

Welcome to War of Underworld.

If you're coming from my adaptation of Alicization Lycoris, you know how the story ends. This chapter was originally supposed to answer that, but... As many times as I spoke of the relationship of Jaymes, Kirito, and Asuna to Koharu, I've never shown the four of them together (that I remember). So I decided to introduce Koharu in this manner, back to the beginning of everything. The next three chapters will also be Koharu and real world-centric, so it'll be a few chapters before the Underworld. While this is just a taste of the relationship of the four, there's Progressice Factor, which feature the four back at the beginning of Aincrad.

I heavily suggest that, if you're new, you read the first five stories before this in this order: Blacksmith and Warrior, Fairy Dance, Courage and Realization, Ordinal Dissonance, and Alicization: Steel and Lycoris. A lot from those stories is going to have references, whether it's characters, relationships, or events. While I wouldn't say this is the culmination of my series, for now, I'd say this is like jumping into a show at season 6 instead of the beginning.

So, without further ado, here's the beginning of the War of Underworld.

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November 6th, 2022

"I wonder if this light inside my heart has been right here all along, and I've never noticed it at all, 'cause every time I stumble down or have to take the long way around, it shines on me forevermore... Ahh." The shower turns off and out steps a young girl of 15 years. Humming the rest of the verse to herself, she dries herself off and straightens her hair. Today's the long-awaited day, and she spent all day at school and gymnastics club thinking about it.

Sword Art Online officially launched two hours ago during school, and she's sure her new friend is already online. She has to hurry up before he forgets her, though he doesn't seem the impatient type. He stayed with her despite her combat blunders the day they met in the beta. It's her first VR game ever, so she hopes that doesn't become a bother.

"Koharu? Um... Are you done in there?"

"Yes, Dad, I am... Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, well... I... I was cleaning your room earlier today and... I might've...accidentally knocked your headset off the shelf."

Koharu cracks open the door, enough for her father to see her unhappy glare. "What? It didn't look broken! Dad!"

"Don't worry, I made sure it worked by turning it on and stuff. Didn't log into that game or anything you bought, but it seems to still work. I'm sorry, though."

Koharu sighs and exits the bathroom in comfortable clothing. "Fine. Well, I'll log off around dinnertime. Eight, right?"

Her father nods. "Eight it is. Now go have fun."

She separates from her dad and heads into her room. Eyeing the grey headset, she looks for any damage it might possess, but it seems to be in good condition. "Good. Just a moment longer." She inserts the SAO cartridge, hooks up the NerveGear, and lays down on her bed. Once the system is fully booted up, she smiles to herself. A new world awaits her. "Link Start!"

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"Ah! There you are!" Koharu pants as she stops in front of a boy with brown skin and spiky black hair leaning against a building in the Town of Beginnings' main square. His face doesn't show any irritation or surprise, but he made true on his promise to meet with her on the first day. Wiping her sweat (somehow possible in this world) she looks up. He's wearing the same clothing as before, black boots and pants, a long-sleeved red shirt, and a metal chest plate. She, too, hasn't changed attire from the beta. A dark long-sleeved dress that shows off her shoulder, a breastplate topping it, and it leads down to a black skirt fit for combat. Around her waist is a red belt which holds her weapon of choice, a dagger. Koharu found this weapon easiest to wield as it complements her natural agility. "There's way more people here than during the beta. It was hard finding you!"