SAO: I replaced him?

As the sun dipped below the horizon, its crimson afterglow bathed the Town of Beginnings in an eerie light. Then, suddenly—

DONG! DONG! DONG!

The town's bell tolled ominously, sending a deep resonance across Aincrad.

At that moment, every player—whether battling wild boars, running errands, or simply exploring—was instantly teleported. No warnings, no explanations. In the blink of an eye, thousands of players found themselves standing together in the massive town square, right where they had first logged in.

"What the hell?! This is the starting square!"

"Wait, did the game just teleport us?"

"Uhh… why can't I log out?"

"WHERE'S THE LOGOUT BUTTON?! WHO TOOK MY LOGOUT BUTTON?!"

"Dude, chill! Maybe it's just a bug—"

"BUG MY ASS! CALL A GM! SOMEONE CALL A GM!"

The sheer chaos was deafening. A tidal wave of panic surged through the crowd as players frantically fumbled through their menus, searching in vain for the missing logout option.

Standing at the edge of the square, cloaked in a simple hood, Morin observed the commotion with quiet amusement. He had expected this, yet watching it unfold in real-time was... something else.

"No sight of Kirito, Asuna, or any of the main cast yet… Guess everyone's still hiding behind their customized avatars."

Shrugging, he leaned back against a nearby wall, arms crossed, and waited for the inevitable.

And then—

The sky turned blood-red.

All sound stopped.

Every player looked up in stunned silence as ominous crimson patterns appeared overhead, swirling like a vortex of malice. In the center, a massive drop of liquid light coalesced, then dripped downward, dissolving into the air and forming a colossal, faceless figure draped in a deep red cloak.

For a brief moment, nobody spoke. The sheer presence of the figure—its scale, its unnatural stillness—sent shivers down their spines.

Then, a voice boomed across the square.

"Welcome, dear players—"

"—to my world."

It was calm. Deep. Absolute.

Morin exhaled. Here we go.

The faceless giant's voice carried a weight that silenced even the most panicked players.

"My name is Kayaba Akihiko. And as of this moment, I am the sole ruler of this world."

For a second, the players just stared at him, blinking.

"Kayaba Akihiko?

"Wait, the guy who made the game?"

"The genius who invented full-dive tech?"

"Why is he here? Shouldn't he be, like, running a company or something?"

Kayaba ignored the murmurs. His voice remained steady.

"By now, many of you may have noticed—"

"—the logout button is missing."

Silence.

Then, a collective wave of realization hit.

A few players nervously chuckled.

"H-Ha… good one. Now, where's the real event?"

Others weren't laughing.

"No, he's serious… he's actually serious."

Morin's eyes narrowed. Now for the real bombshell.

Kayaba continued, his tone as indifferent as ever.

"Let me make this clear. This is not a bug. This is not a glitch. The logout function has been deliberately removed."

A tense murmur swept through the crowd.

"Additionally," he added casually, "any attempts to forcefully remove your NerveGear in the real world will result in—"

A pause.

Then, the sky shifted.

Like a massive movie screen, live footage appeared above them—news broadcasts, panicked reporters, government statements, and worst of all…

The images of real-world victims.

Players who had been forcibly disconnected. Bodies covered in sheets.

213 players. Dead.

Kayaba delivered the news with all the emotional investment of someone reading off a grocery list.

The crowd reacted accordingly.

Screams. Shouting. Hysterical disbelief.

One poor guy collapsed, gripping his head. "No way. No… NO WAY!"

Another player turned to his friend. "Dude. Dude. We are actually gonna die in here."

A stocky guy in heavy armor clenched his fists. "THAT PSYCHO! HE'S A DAMN MURDERER!"

Morin took a slow breath, his grip tightening on his cloak. Yeah. This part never gets easier.

Kayaba let the hysteria settle before continuing.

"You need not fear further forced removals," he said. "Now that the situation is known worldwide, your real bodies will be cared for. No one will attempt to remove your NerveGear again."

A few players actually sighed in relief.

Then—

"However—"

He let the word hang, heavy with dread.

"From this moment on, SAO is no longer just a game. It is your new reality."

Another pause. Then, with quiet finality, he spoke the words that sealed their fate.

"The revive system has been disabled. If your HP reaches zero—"

"—your NerveGear will emit a powerful microwave signal, destroying your brain."

The silence was deafening.

Some players paled so much they looked ready to faint. Others shook their heads in denial.

Morin simply closed his eyes. There it is.

Then, as if to offer a twisted glimmer of hope, Kayaba delivered his final decree:

"However, there is one way to escape. If any player reaches the top floor of Aincrad and defeats the final boss, all survivors will be freed."

The crowd remained frozen, processing his words.

Clear all 100 floors.

Defeat the final boss.

Escape the game.

Simple, right?

Morin nearly snorted. Yeah, sure. Just beat an entire MMORPG designed by a madman… with perma-death.

But Kayaba wasn't done. With a final, almost amused tone, he said—

"To further remind you that this world is now your reality, I have left a special item in your inventory. Please, take a look."

Curious, players opened their menus.

"A… mirror?"

Confused, they pulled it out—only for a sudden white light to engulf the square.

Then—

"AAAAHHHHH!"

"YOU'RE NOT A CUTE GIRL?! YOU'RE A DUDE?!"

"BRO, YOU'RE LIKE… HALF MY SIZE!"

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY FACE?!"

The transformation was instant. Gone were the stylish, customized avatars. Every player now appeared exactly as they did in real life.

For some, it was just a minor shock. For others? Pure existential horror.

One guy turned to his former "hot girlfriend" and nearly cried. "I thought we had something real, man!"

His former girlfriend, now a very muscular dude, patted his back sympathetically. "Sorry, bro."

Kayaba let the panic die down before speaking one last time.

"You may be wondering… why?"

For the first time, his voice held something other than monotony—something almost reverent.

"I have no goals. No motives. No ransom demands."

"This world… is my masterpiece."

A slow pause.

Then, with the finality of a god descending upon his creation, Kayaba spoke—

"And now… my work is complete."

With that, his form dissolved into crimson mist. The sky returned to normal. The setting sun cast long shadows over a silent, terrified crowd.

And so, the death game truly began.