In the deepest area of the Gate to the Netherworld lay âTHE NEW GATEâ.
There were two shadows facing each other.
One was the shadow of the monster protecting the gate.
Its name was âOriginâ. VRMMORPG âTHE NEW GATEââs final and most powerful monster.
It was a dragon-human hybrid with a humanlike body and the head of a dragon. Its total height was about 7 mels, its eyes a vivid sky blue, while the horn on its forehead and scales covering its body were a brilliant gold.
Its warrior-like physique, sculpted to the limits, was protected by full-body armor, also colored gold. The weapon it wielded, a lance without the least bit of decoration, was gold as well.
Such colors suggested the malicious nature of the beast, but its large body and crushing pressure it emanated evoked feelings of divinity, but certainly not repulsion.
It was a monster fitting to be called Divine Beast, which deserved the title of âStrongestâ.
On the other side was the shadow of a single man.
His name was Shin. His real name, Kiritani Shinya.
In the VRMMORPG âTHE NEW GATEâ Shin was one of the most experienced, most powerful players.
His height was slightly over 180 cemels, his physique leaning on the slender side.
Black hair and black eyes, an average-looking face that could be called neither handsome nor ugly. Despite being in front of Origin, Shin showed no signs of anxiety.
A thin black muffler with red stripes was wrapped around his neck. The long coat and pants he wore were also black with red stripes. On his arms and legs Shin was wearing crimson guards, but was wearing no other protective gear.
His only weapon was a black katana held in his right hand. Its hilt and grip were both black, but the blade emitted a suffused red glow, as if it was embedded with red spheres.
Shin stepped forward once, and in response Origin readied its lance.
In contrast to Shinâs light equipment, Origin donned a set of heavy full-body armor.
It was a duel that would seem clearly lopsided from a third partyâs point of view. A single sweep of Originâs lance, and nothing but a puddle of flesh would remain of Shin.
Shin moved one more step forward, and Origin swung its weapon.
An attack launched at unfathomable speed, considering the monsterâs gigantic size. Coupled with the lanceâs own size, it looked like a wall was flying towards Shin.
The lance pierced through the stone pavement. Not only did it blow away the stone tiles, but it also carved a considerable hole in the terrain below.
Shin, however, was not thereâhe was right at Originâs feet.
Just before the attack, Shin had anticipated it with the Support-type Martial skill ăMindâs Eyeă and used the Movement-type Martial skill ăGround Shrinkă to close in on the enemy at high speed.
Origin had lost sight of Shin; the latter used this chance to activate the Katana-type Martial skill ăMoon Arc Flashă, aiming at the monsterâs right leg.
As the skill activated, the katanaâs blade burned bright red; its sharpness and speed had increased 150%.
Shin made use of the momentum and pushed in forward, swinging his blade with all his power.
âSsshah!!â
A single slash.
Drawing a bright crimson streak in the air, the blade severed Originâs right leg guard in two.
The slash continued to cut halfway through the monsterâs right leg, the gushing blood staining the golden scales red.
Originâs HP gauge had decreased by 1/50. Considering it was damage given in one blow to the strongest monster, it was incredibly high.
â**************!!!â
The pain from its right leg made Origin scream. A shrill sound like clanging metal reverberated through the chamber.
Shin then saw through the next attack with ăMindâs Eyeă and jumped back a great distance. His boosted leg power allowed him to move quickly enough to leave behind after-images.
Seconds later, the tip of Originâs lance came crashing down, striking Shinâs after-image.
While the strike was less powerful than the previous blow, seeing as the amount of destroyed stone tiles was clearly smaller, the offensive power exerted by the monster was still absurdly high.
âThat was quick. As expected of the last boss.â
Even after witnessing the lanceâs immense destructive power, Shin was confident enough to just be impressed. The last gatekeeper was a very worthy opponent. Shin focused even more. He would not let his guard down.
If the HP gauge displayed at the edge of his field of sight was reduced to zero, Shin would die. He knew it full well even before coming here. In order to clear THE NEW GATE, which had turned into a death gameâŠ
No one was fighting alongside him now, but he had been supported by many.
Shin was wearing equipment he had crafted himself, and the items he had received were of little use against bosses. Even so, the feelings of his comrades, who had done all they could to help him, weighed heavily on his shoulders.
There were girls crying about wanting to see their family. Boys who had lost their legs and their futures. Men who were even more determined in the face of desperation, vowing to never give up. Women who tried to help as many people as possible.
Everyone had struggled, given up, stood up again, fought on. Many had disappeared in the process.
One year had passed since they had been trapped. Whether it had been a long or short timeâŠShin couldnât tell.
One word, only one, however, filled his heart right nowâŠâVictoryâ, nothing else.
Defeating Origin meant to free and save all the people that had stood by his side.
For thatâŠ
âThis is the end!!â
Shin unsheathed his katana once again towards the glaring Origin.
ââââ
âWoooohh!!!â
A slash ripped through the air, cleaving through one of Originâs wings at the base.
It was the Katana-type Martial skill ăMountain Cleaveră.
A sharp, straight slash from above: as its name suggested, it inflicted 2.5 times more damage to enemies larger than the user, a massive boost to its offensive power.
Having lost one of its wings, Origin was now forced to kneel because of the accumulated damage.
Shin whispered âGood!â to himself. The lag after activating the skill had not been a problem, thanks to the enemy monster losing its balance.
The armor enveloping Originâs body was now shattered and cracked. Not only had its wing been cut off, but its left arm too; its golden horn was now missing the tip too.
The monsterâs HP gauge was now reduced to minimum levels.
âHah, hah, hahâŠâ
Originâs body was ravaged with wounds, but Shin wasnât unscathed either.
His defensive gear still had endurance left, but he had dodged, parried, and sometimes blocked the blows unleashed by Originâs huge body. Shinâs HP gauge was still in a safe zone, but mental exhaustion had caused his breathing to become erratic, just like reality.
âHah, hah, hoooohâŠâ
Shin inhaled and exhaled.
System-wise it was an unnecessary action, but Shin felt that he needed to do it now.
He tried calming his breath to placate his nerves.
One more ăMountain Cleaveră would fell the monster, but this skill required a long charging time after being used once. It was probably the skill that required the longest or second longest time before it was possible to use it again. Shin would probably not use it anymore in this battle.
(Itâs not an opponent that would allow me to use big moves like that easily anyway. Itâs just one skill after all, nothing to worry about.)
If Shin lacked quality, he just needed to compensate with quantity.
âCalm down, me.â
Originâs HP gauge was low, but still not zero. If Shin were to fall just steps before his goal, people would not even look at him anymore.
Originâs eyes still burned with fighting spirit. Shin felt so, despite the monsterâs eyes being simple graphical constructs.
The next second, a flat female voice reached Shinâs ears.
The automatic skill ăAnalyze Xă had activated and notified Shin of Originâs boosted abilities. At the same time, Originâs HP gauge started gradually regenerating. A golden light enveloped the wounds where the severed arm and wing had been attached, moving little by little towards the exterior, gradually regenerating the lost limbs.
Leaving the monster alone would return it to its original state soon.
Shin would not allow it, obviously.
As soon as he heard the notice from ăAnalyze Xă, Shin used ăGround Shrinkă to close in on the still kneeling Origin.
â**********â!!!â
In reaction to Shinâs movements, Origin roared and attempted a sweep with the lance in its right hand.
Slicing through the air with a sound similar to a growl, the giant lance was coming dangerously close to Shin.
Without losing one instant, Shin activated the Katana-type Martial skill ăBlade Evasionă and the Barehanded-type Martial skill ăSteel Repelă.
ăBlade Evasionă allows the user to lower their center of gravity and dodge enemy attacks.
ăSteel Repelă covered the userâs arms and legs in a light that partially repelled enemy attacks.
Shin blocked the lanceâs blade with ăBlade Evasionă and forcefully shifted the direction of the strength behind the blade. In addition, he touched the back of the blade with his left arm, using ăSteel Repelă to reduce the power behind the attack.
The ăSurvival Instinctă -powered attack, however, could not be nullified even with such a combination of skills resulting in Shinâs HP gauge suffering some damage.
âHaah!â
Even though he had suffered damage, the moment he could distance the enemyâs blade from himself, Shin straightened his stance and added strength in the same direction of the lanceâs attack.
Because of this, the lanceâs speed exceeded what Origin had intended, and as a consequence the monster lost its balance.
Shin immediately activated the Katana-type Martial skill ăMoonlight Slashing Danceă.
Bright flashes reminiscing of the moonâs colors formed a blade of light enveloping the katana. The blade extended temporarily to twice its normal size.
âSHEEAAAAAHH!!â
The silver slashes cleanly struck Originâs unguarded torso.
One!
Two!
Three!
The blade of light was swung with enough speed to leave after-images in its wake. After every slash, streaks of light trailed in the air. The damage inflicted by the first 3 slashes had removed the HP recovered by ăGolden Surgeă .
Four!
Five!
Six!
Seven!
Eight!
Nine!
Ten!!!
The remaining 7 slashes whittled down Originâs HP. Just after the 10th slash, the blade of light around the katana vanished, signaling that the skill was not active anymore.
ăMoonlight Slashing Danceă consisted of 10 continuous slashes with boosted attack speed and range. Attack speed increased 1.3 times, while the range doubled.
Each slash did not boast very high damage, but the total damage and number of slashes made it more effective than a simple attack boost skill.
Also thanks to Shinâs STR and the katanaâs offensive stats, this skill inflicted damage very close to -albeit still inferior to- ăMountain Cleaveră.
In fact, after ăMoonlight Slashing Danceăâs storm-like flurry of slashes, Originâs HP was now very close to zero.
âThis ends now!!â
Shin climbed up Originâs crouching body. Originâs HP gauge was still recovering, but Shin estimated that he could finish things now.
Maybe as a last resort, Origin let go of the lance it wielded in its right hand and attempted to hit Shin with a backhand. Shin jumped over the attack, however, and readied his katana in midair.
His eyes met the collapsing Origin. It was about to be felled, yet its eyes did not contain rage, but expressed a kind of serene peacefulness. Or so Shin felt.
His opponent might not have harbored hostility, but Shinâs grip on his katana did not waver.
He had decided that he would achieve victory. That resolution would not be shaken.
âItâs over now!!â
Following these words, Shinâs black katana swung down on Originâs forehead.
ââââ
ââ-âThe Gatekeeper âOriginâ has been defeated. You shall now receive the victory bonusesâ.
ââ-âYou have obtained the gifts âLimit Breakerâ, âAccomplished Oneâ, and âLiberatorââ.
ââ-âYou have acquired the skills ăHades Surgeă, ăConcentrated Surgeă, and
ăScattering Surgeăâ.
ââ-âYou have obtained the items ăProtectorâs Remainsă, ăProtectorâs Soulă, and
ăProtectorâs Heartăâ.
Shin was standing still, listening to the gameâs system announcements.
His surroundings were filled with light.
Originâs body turned into a burst of gold light and scattered, filling the chamber.
As the light gradually disappeared, it revealed the bossâ chamber, damaged and scarred by the fight; a perfectly unscathed gate and Shin.
Then, another system announcement played.
âThe gatekeeper of the deepest part of Gate to the Otherworld, âOriginâ has been defeated. The dungeon has been cleared.â
The announcement would inform Shinâs companions about his victory.
âNow, it has become possible for all players to log out.â
âItâs overâŠâ
Yes, it was really over.
The death game that had trapped Shin and many others for one year now saw its curtains close.
Shin opened the menu to confirm and, sure enough, the last item of the list was the âLog outâ option.
He then checked his friends list. He could see the âonlineâ status change to âofflineâ, one player after another. Everyone could really log out safely, it seemed.
âIâve kept my promiseâŠright, Marino?â
Shinâs chest was filled with a sense of fulfillment.
The girl who had passed away in this world, would she praise him?
Such things occupied Shinâs thoughts.
âOkay then! Guess Iâll just wait till all players log out successfully.â
Enough gloomy thoughts, Shin decided, and forcefully changed his mood. He sat down. He had decided to log out only after everyone else had.
Shin took out a survivorsâ list from his item box. He quietly rolled open the scroll-like item and gazed at it. It was an item that displayed in real time the names of surviving players.
One of Shinâs companions, an alchemist, had understood Shinâs wish of logging out only after everyone else had; after seven sleepless day and nights, they had created this unique item.
As players died or logged out, their names were supposed to disappear from the list.
Shin, giving thanks to his friend, watched playersâ names disappear from the list for a while.
It took about 3 minutes. Finally, the only remaining name on the list was his: âShinâ.
âIâm the last one.â
He whispered.
All he had done for a long time was just fight, fight, fight. But, now that everything was over, he felt overwhelmed with emotions filling his chest.
Once he logged out, he would probably not be able to come back anymore. It was unthinkable for an online game that had turned into a death game to just continue operating, after all.
(In the end something like this happened, but in the beginning I had a lot of fun here.)
Shin had played THE NEW GATE for one third of his life. For better or worse, it was a game he had spent a long time with.
He understood it was something disrespectful to think of. The time spent with his friends and companions, however, was something he could only have obtained here.
âGoodbye then, The New Gate.â
Shin whispered a farewell and was about to log out, when the gate before him-which was never supposed to open- started creaking.
âHm?â
Distracted by the sound, Shinâs fingers, hovering above the log out option, stopped.
The heavy, gorgeously decorated doors were slowly opening. A bright light was shining from the crack, preventing Shin from seeing what lies beyond the gate.
âWhatâs going on? There shouldnât be any events anymoreâŠâ
Ignoring the confused Shin, the white light from beyond the gate filled the room.
âThis is weird.â
Shin realized that something bizarre must have happened, but before he could press the log out option, the light enveloped his body too.