Multiverse: The Forced Exorcist

Asuna rubbed her sore arm from where Misumi had pinched her. She rolled her eyes at her friend standing beside her.

Verifying whether they had truly entered another world was understandable—but did she really have to pinch her arm? She grumbled silently and kept her thoughts to herself.

She surveyed the familiar starting town of SAO.

Asuna's eyes were filled with disbelief. The environment had completely changed. Originally, Sword Art Online was made up of countless floating islands.

Now it had become a complete world, with vast, endless plains and in the distance, the towering Aincrad that had once struck fear into players' hearts.

It was hard to imagine—

That through a VR terminal, they could now enter a real, transformed alternate world.

"This is just… incredible…"

Asuna fell silent for a moment before answering the question Misumi had asked earlier. Originally, it had only hosted their consciousness. But now, even their bodies could enter.

She didn't understand the mechanism. She bent down and scooped up a handful of dirt. In a digital world created with high-tech equipment—

How could this feel so real in such a short time?

Not lingering any longer outside the starting town, she and Misumi headed inward. By logic, the NPCs—virtual characters—should still be here, right?

"Let's check out what's changed in the world. I figure Shirakawa-kun is probably resting now. When he wakes up—"

"He'll probably notice we're here."

Asuna took the initiative to make a decision. She didn't mention the Dimensional Chat Group, her eyes filled with anticipation.

What awaited her next—

Was a true otherworldly journey. Whether she stayed in SAO or traveled to other worlds, including what happened the morning before when she left the game…

She had no objections to becoming one of Shirakawa's chosen of the God of Pleasure.

She knew this was a new path laid before her.

She walked alongside Misumi through the starting town. Even though everything had changed dramatically, the original vibe was still there. The night was quiet.

No random monster spawns.

What caught her attention was a figure squatting in the distance. Asuna's eyes were immediately drawn to her.

"That's…"

"An NPC from SAO?"

"Not exactly sure," Misumi shook her head slightly. She still hadn't fully processed the feeling of truly entering another world. As for the figure ahead—

She didn't have many thoughts.

The controls were different from SAO. There was no player interface, which meant equipment couldn't be equipped. They were barehanded.

As a seasoned gamer—

She had to remain cautious. In SAO, you couldn't log out. Here in the subspace, they had no clue how to return!

"Should we go take a look?"

"We're only a hundred meters from the starting town. This should've been the game's safe zone, right?"

Asuna was simply curious. The NPCs in this world actually lived like humans, and this girl—was standing right at the entrance to the town.

Most importantly, she trusted Shirakawa with her safety. Since he had said they could return to SAO any time, that meant it was safe.

As long as they didn't go to Aincrad, they'd be fine.

Approaching, Asuna looked at the girl sitting on the ground. In the real world, she looked like a grade schooler, with long black hair.

She wore a light-colored dress.

As they drew near, the girl tiredly looked up. Her cute, childish face was full of confusion.

"What's your name?"

"Why aren't you resting in the town up ahead? Why are you sitting out here…?"

She was an adorable little girl.

Looked to be about 7 or 8. Asuna didn't try to help her up—she just squatted down beside her and asked curiously.

"I…"

"I don't know my name. When I woke up yesterday at noon, I was already here. I walked for a very long time."

The girl shook her head, her soft voice full of fatigue.

And she was telling the truth. She had woken up in a strange forest. As for why she had walked toward the town—

She didn't understand it herself.

If Shirakawa had been here, he would've immediately recognized her: the AI mental support program from the SAO game.

"And then I got too tired…"

"So I just wanted to rest for a bit…"

To Asuna and Misumi, she was just a lost stranger.

Asuna looked at the girl, then glanced around, unsure whether there was danger nearby. Thinking of that—

She smiled gently and said, "We're heading to the starting town too."

"Do you want to come with us?"

"…"

A glimmer of joy flashed in the girl's exhausted eyes. She nodded seriously, but her brows furrowed, recalling that she couldn't walk anymore.

"Will I… be a burden to you?"

"Of course not!"

Asuna smiled and nodded. She felt a strange sense of connection with this girl. Reaching out, she gently held the girl's small hand.

It was a warmth only real people could possess.

Finally, she looked at Misumi and said casually, "Do you think the inn we stayed at before is still usable? If it is—"

"Then we don't have to worry about a place to stay tonight."

---

After finishing today's orgy, Shirakawa, as the creator of the subspace, had unsurprisingly overpowered everyone.

He had easily defeated Saeko, Shizuka, and the others.

The final "defeat CG" scene ended with all the girls fainting. For them, the only real danger in the subspace was the floating tower, Aincrad.

But as long as their soul cores remained undamaged…

No matter how severe the injury, it could always heal. Shirakawa was just about to rest in the warmth of the palace and consider tomorrow's plans—

When a warning appeared: an outsider had entered the sub dimension, instantly drawing his attention.

"Who is it...?"

Curious, Shirakawa expanded his awareness to cover every corner of the subspace. Nothing could hide from his gaze.

Very quickly—

His eyes locked onto the two figures using virtual game terminals to link to the subspace through the Dimensions Gateway: Yuuki Asuna and Tizawa Misumi.

Heading toward the Starting Town.

He wasn't particularly surprised. What caught his eye was the black-haired little girl walking beside Asuna.

"Hmm?"

"Yui... actually manifested as a human? Well, in that case, I've definitely got to go."