Chapter 3

Shigaraki Sora was now possibly experiencing what would become the strangest event of his entire short life, which as a resident of Neo Tokyo had already been plagued with many problems due to his naturally intimidating face.

 

He remembered all the bad rumors, misunderstandings, and fights he'd been involved in over that nonsense for as long as he could remember, and he thought it was all rubbish.

 

But none of that could compare to his current situation, not even the recent incident where he was attacked by different criminals sent by a small gang that he defeated, grouping against him masked as clowns with metal bats...

 

Seriously... who came up with the brilliant idea to do that? Anyway, that's all...

 

—Arthur Pendragon von Draco Silva, here, in front of everyone present, I challenge you to a duel!

 

It doesn't compare at all to this ridiculous situation!

 

Sora just stared in bewilderment at the red-haired, green-eyed boy who was yelling at him, talking nonsense, and calling him 'Arthur Pendragon something' as if he thought he was some kind of western nobleman from some strange nation in the Middle Ages.

 

Her white uniform, with beautiful black lines embroidered on it, was unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar at the same time, and her face was pretty enough to make one think she was a beautiful girl cross-dressing as a man; a genuine SSR-class Bishoujo.

 

As if to counteract that, her voice sounded relatively gender-neutral, though it would sound pretty cute if she really tried.

Even though a different name came out of her delicate pink lips, Sora was pretty sure she was talking to him since, well... the guy just looked at him with those indignant eyes at him and no one else.

—What's up with that girl...no, kid? Huh?

"A mere student from Class G is actually messing with the Archduke? Does he even know what a Sovereign Noble is?"

 

—At the Academy, we're all just students, aren't we?

—…As a mere vassal noble, you dare to mess with a Sovereign Noble and an SS-Class student with that as an excuse? Did looking at that guy make you stupid? No? Hmm, I thought so.

—Crazy bastard, that's what he is…although he's very cute, damn it

—How horrible to feel jealous of a man…

Such murmurs and exclamations of surprise and bewilderment could be heard coming from a crowd that had gathered around them, all wearing the same uniform, only with different colors in their embroidery carefully woven into their valuable and expensive fabrics; all of them within what looked like the interior of a European-style shopping mall with a somewhat medieval feel, like those elegant noble houses from those fantasy mangas that anyone can read in their free time.

 

Even Sora belatedly realized that he was wearing a uniform similar to the rest, only with gold embroidery.

 

Furthermore, it was curious that most of them seemed to be of Western origin, but the style of their uniforms was quite similar to the Japanese schools he knew; with ties for the men and bow ties for the women. Once again, he felt a strange familiarity growing inside him at the sight.

 

It was a rather beautiful day, with the sun high in the sky above the white clouds that passed lazily over the land in their various forms; very different from the time he was in Neo Tokyo, where it was nighttime and the moon could barely be seen through the dark clouds in the sky. Amidst it all, he was surrounded by a group of people who looked strangely attractive, regardless of their gender. It was quite strange; as if a large group of idols had gathered in one place as students of some kind.

 

….What’s going on?

 

Honestly Sora had no idea how he ended up here.

 

He just had a very brief fight between him and some vicious clowns (laughs), there was a sudden explosion in the district he was in if his memories weren't wrong or so he thought, and after being covered in flames for a blink of an eye, he was walking here, dazed by the change of scenery until this guy screamed at him like a demon.

 

No way! Did I die in an explosion? I didn't even get a chance to passionately hug Yūna-chan!

 

It was understandable that he felt sad and dismayed by this unfortunate event. No, rather, there was something very strange about his way of thinking about it... He should be sad about her death, shouldn't he?

 

But wasn't I alive at the time? Was it a dream? But I remembered something about the heat, and it wasn't fake... Am I in virtual reality?

 

By 2115, the technology that allowed people to immerse themselves in virtual worlds was already a reality, but most people couldn't afford it.

 

In a world of billions and over, an average VRMMORPG would only have around 300,000 active users; simply because the cheapest equipment needed was expensive enough to buy a small apartment, although more efficient ones could be rented… if one was willing to go into debt.

 

No… with this level of realism, even my brain should feel the strain of neural feedback from the large amount of information flowing through my neurons via the neural coordinator <Alaya>, not to mention the other negative effects of its prolonged use that wouldn't escape my senses…

 

Neural coordinator <Alaya>.

 

That was the name of the technology that finally allowed humanity to enjoy true virtual reality games that had been nothing more than 21st-century dreams.

 

It was an incredible technology that used something called "synthetic brainwave language" to interact with the human brain in its own language and stimulate it to build the immersive virtual reality environment using the information stored in the brain itself. Basically, it converted ones and zeros into sensory data by talking directly to the brain... or something like that.

 

The reason it was called the Alaya Coordinator, according to its inventors, was because this device could coordinate information from multiple human brains and even synthetic data generated by advanced AI to ensure the virtual environment was as realistic as possible…according to the needs of the game, at least.

 

The other reason?

 

This was a technology created by scientists from New Typemoon, the company that owns the entire Nasuverse, and coordinating brains to create virtual reality somehow seemed similar to creating a collective unconscious capable of building and destroying entire realities like Alaya did... although in a way, it was quite accurate...

 

Shiragaki Sora didn't really know all the technical details and all that, but his grandfather compared it to the soul reader in Sword Art Online, which allowed both its inhabitants and the protagonists and their friends to experience the virtual world of Underworld as if it were real using information existing in the soul.

 

The difference was that it used information from neurons and sensory organs to construct the world rather than some almost esoteric quantum field.

 

In any case, as already mentioned, the device had serious flaws that couldn't be fixed even with current technology without performing drastic human experiments, and stimulating the brain in this way causes significant physical and mental stress to the user; depending on the complexity of the world. While this varied from person to person, the unluckiest players could only last two hours or less in VR games before the system forced them to quit to protect the integrity of their brains... even with the most advanced neural coordinators.

 

It was a tragedy for VR addicts, as well as the reason why mobile gaming and traditional MMORPGs remain strong and hugely popular.

 

As for Sora, he was one of the lucky few. He was in excellent physical and mental condition thanks to his martial arts training. Furthermore, his uncle, as an employee of New Typemoon, had bought him the best virtual reality equipment a non-poor teenager could ask for.

 

He could easily last two days inside the only VRMMORPG he's ever liked if he wanted to... Only the level of realism in that game was so stressful that he didn't dare do it for twelve hours at most.

 

That unbridled realism was also the reason for its downfall, although the gameplay wasn't that bad. It was even worse than trying to run the old GTA 7 on a 20th-century computer; that would cripple even the weakest brain in a matter of minutes. And that was the reason Sora was sure this wasn't virtual reality at all.

 

That aside, I felt like I was forgetting a few things... But what?

 

—…Arthur Pendragon!

 

The scream of a certain redhead, whose existence was ignored for more than five seconds of quick thought, resounded, drawing attention. The other party blushed in embarrassment; obviously unhappy at being ignored, while the crowd stared at him as if he were a clown (XD).

 

For now, let's answer the stupid redhead with a Bishoujo face... Let's get to the point!...

Thinking this, Sora calmly opened his mouth. "What kind of disrespect is this? You're being too rude, Sir Hamilton. Even if you're the son of a rural baron who barely qualifies as a noble vassal, you should at least strive to maintain your aristocratic dignity at all times so as not to bring shame on your family and treat your superiors accordingly, or you'll simply be no different from those despicable, uneducated mercenaries."

 

Some in the crowd let out mocking and disdainful laughs as they looked at the redhead, clearly agreeing with his words. However, there was a problem.

 

Huh? Wasn't that what I meant?

 

This is what I really wanted to say: Fuck you, you crazy little woman who can't handle strangers! Do you think you're a criminal with that pathetic little body? Tsk...

 

Thus, Sora was confused by the unexpected difference between his already thought-out answer. Furthermore, he unexpectedly knew the boy's surname, and even called him "noble" and spoke of one's proper attitude; even going so far as to choose those words to humiliate him without going too far, as natural as breathing.

 

How is this guy's name coming out of my mouth, and why do I call him a nobleman, of all things? I mean, his clothes look expensive, but I wear the same clothes, and so do everyone else. Also, this feels strangely familiar...

…No no no, more importantly, why does my voice sound like that?

It wasn't that his voice had changed, exactly. It felt the same…only the tone he used sounded so naturally haughty and cold that it felt very strange. He didn't remember having used such a tone before.

 

His thoughts were interrupted again by the other person, who, at first, seemed strangely surprised, only to exclaim loudly, "Ha?! Are you blatantly looking down on me?"

 

"Did you notice the obvious...? How wonderful, you're far more perceptive than you seem, it's a miracle I don't think I'll ever see again in my life." An indifferent voice came from his lips, saying something that, no matter how you looked at it, was an insult to his intellectual depth. Laughter erupted from the crowd, and the boy blushed even more in embarrassment, as red as his hair.

 

It was kind of… cute. If he weren't a boy, Sora would have been tempted to flirt with him because of how adorable he looked with his red face and slightly teary eyes. He thought it was a shame for a moment before focusing on something else, pushing away the thoughts that made him feel gay.

 

...I can't remember ever being so sarcastic in my life. Or rather, it's a very refined way of speaking, isn't it? What's up?

 

He seemed to have no control over his own mouth... that disturbed him, something quite unusual for him. No, no one would be bothered by something like that, because it would imply a lack of self-control. That was simply terrifying...

 

Suddenly, Sora remembered an old anime he had watched with his grandfather, about an ordinary college boy who had transmigrated into a video game villain named Harold or something like that who spoke cynically and arrogantly to almost anyone, regardless of their actual personality...

 

Why do I have the feeling that these circumstances are terribly similar to Harold-san's...?

 

"You... you...!" The redhead gritted his teeth in anger, but Sora decided not to pay any more attention to him and turned around to continue walking.

 

She didn't know why she was there, what to do, or why she couldn't say what she wanted, but she certainly didn't want to listen to a stranger's nonsense. Although she had no idea where to go, she let her instincts guide her.

 

—Are you a coward?

 

Suddenly, Sora heard the redhead's voice in a poor attempt to provoke him.

 

Even though he knew it, Shigaraki Sora wasn't one to stand idly by while being called a coward, so he looked at the boy and spoke to him in a slightly colder tone than before. "Excuse me?"

 

His intimidating tone and aura made the other tremble for a few seconds as everyone suddenly fell silent, before the redhead began shaking his head vigorously to appear even angrier and shouted with a fake brave tone, "Why else... Why else would you refuse the duel?"

 

—Hmmm — He seemed to think for a few seconds, and answered with a weak smile —... Why are you insignificant?

 

-Oh!?

 

The redhead's eyes widened in disbelief as the crowd watched intently, some nodding with their own grimaces, and Sora didn't give him a moment to process his words before saying in a rather arrogant tone:

 

—Aside from the fact that I have no idea why you're challenging me to a duel, Sir Hamilton, I'm not particularly interested in fighting a man as weak as you. It would be a valuable waste of time that could be spent on more important things, regardless of the type of duel you desire. Still, it's not cowardice if you're so weak from the start that the outcome of the duel would already be obvious to anyone with eyes, is it?

 

Although in a different way than he really meant it, Sora's disdain was real, as ever since he started having conflicts with delinquents, he reluctantly had to train in martial arts to better defend himself, and with his incredible martial talent and developed Chi manipulation, Sora acquired a keen perception to determine if someone was strong and skilled just by looking at them.

 

And it must be said that "weak" was written all over the redhead's body. Not to mention the insignificant aura he felt around him; it was absurd how weak he felt compared to the commoners in the crowd.

 

Her arms were as thin as a normal girl's, which made her look even more feminine, much to his displeasure.

 

He showed no signs of having trained his body at all, nor did he seem to have systematically learned a set of martial arts, or else Sora would have been able to pick up at a glance the typical habits and patterns that any self-respecting Martial Artist develops as they incorporate each learned martial art into their body and gain experience in combat.

 

Furthermore, given his lack of emotional control, he never practiced meditation to properly control his impulses and any fight he got into was likely to be limited to backslapping and insults with his equally weak friends, or he knew from experience how essential it was to keep a cool head if he was preparing for a fight, especially if he wanted to keep his Chi under control.

 

Why would she agree to fight him when she could easily imagine giving him the beating of his life? It would be a waste of time.

 

At the obvious disdain, the redhead's fury increased even more and he exclaimed offended: "What the hell? Just because you're an Awakener with the Dragon Knight Class and a high Episcapi rank doesn't give you the right to look down on others like that!"

 

Awakened with the Dragon Knight Class? High-ranking Episcapi? Sora thought, somewhat incredulous, recognizing those terms.

 

Is this guy a loyal fan of that bankrupt FLS?

 

Sora wondered in amusement and somewhat disbelief, but quickly put it aside and replied cynically, "You knew of my power well enough and yet you challenged me to a duel? How naive; you should recognize the difference in level before doing something so reckless. If you'll excuse me, I won't waste any more time on this honestly pointless argument, though I did find it a bit amusing."

 

Saying that further, Shigaraki Sora turned around and began walking with dignified and arrogant steps, with an upright posture and a rather regal and natural atmosphere that he was unaware of as he ignored the dark-faced boy behind him.

 

The peanut gallery opened a path for him as if he were Moses parting the sea with the power of God, which surprised him a little, but did not make him doubt or hesitate to continue on his way.

 

Whatever it is...

 

Exiting the mall(?) through a strange door(?), all Sora noticed with surprise was a row of luxurious carriages one would only see in fantasy anime, all horseless and lined up at a grand stone entrance with elegant double doors wide open, revealing a tunnel inside, and an elegant looking butler stepped out of one of the most luxurious ones from the driver's seat and approached Sora with elegant yet silent steps.

 

Sora felt a deep wariness creeping in. What others might consider a mere dignified appearance, in his eyes, betrayed vast combat experience and strength unmatched even by his sensei.

 

Not in terms of martial superiority, as he was certain his sensei surpassed the old man. The point was that this butler felt stronger in terms of energy and pure physical power.

 

Her senses, more powerful than ever, felt his power spreading like waves around her, capable of raging at any moment. And her instincts, like the martial artist Shigaraki Sora, screamed at her to flee from that man quickly.

 

I must escape!

 

He said it to himself unconsciously.

 

It was not out of fear, but rather a matter of logic to ensure their survival in the face of a potentially life-threatening stranger.

 

However, for some reason, her body refused to act on her will and she could do nothing but approach him indifferently, and the butler approached Sora in turn.