Journey to Planar World

Moments later, the smoke and dust from the Arcs Ray explosion gradually dissipated, revealing a battered Heathcliff. His armor was damaged in several places, and his shield was slightly blackened, but he still stood tall.

”Still not dead? Just how much HP do you have? Your durability is like a cockroach’s.” Charlie said, frowning in displeasure.

It should be noted that he was currently Level 5 and possessed Six Eyes, granting him absolute control over his energy. In other words, the Arcs Ray he had just unleashed was exponentially stronger than when he was Level 4.

By his conservative estimate, that Arcs Ray had enough destructive power to obliterate a next-generation tank.

”No, no, no. That attack dealt significant damage to me. It drained my HP bar into the yellow zone. But thanks to Auto Recovery working continuously, my HP bar is back in the green.” Heathcliff replied.

”You can’t kill me, invader. How about we call it quits here? There’s no point in continuing this fight. You can’t defeat me, and neither can I defeat you.”

Heathcliff proposed a truce. After all, he didn’t know if Charlie had even stronger techniques up his sleeve. His plan had only just begun, and he didn’t want it to end prematurely.

”I can’t defeat you? Don’t get too arrogant, Kayaba Akihiko. Do you really think you’re invincible with your GM account?”

Hearing Heathcliff’s words, Charlie narrowed his eyes, exuding a dangerous aura that chilled the air.

”Of course not.” Heathcliff replied casually, as if enjoying the conversation. ”As you said, I’m worried you still have a trump card you haven’t used. I can sense the hidden power you possess.”

”You know that, yet where does your confidence come from?” Charlie shot back, probing for the reason behind Heathcliff’s arrogance.

Heathcliff gave a faint smile, radiating absolute confidence.

”Invader, you forget I’m a god in this world. Even if you defeat and kill me, as long as I don’t acknowledge your victory, I won’t truly die. I can simply create a new avatar with a different appearance and name, and you’ll never find me. I can appear anywhere, anytime, with a new identity.”

”…”

Heathcliff’s explanation made sense, and Charlie couldn’t refute it.

Take the case of Kirito and Heathcliff’s duel in the original story: Kirito was defeated by Heathcliff by a narrow margin, but a miracle—or rather, plot armor—occurred. Kirito, whose HP bar had already hit zero and should have shattered into polygons, somehow managed to land a final blow on Heathcliff.

Heathcliff hadn’t anticipated that situation and ended up defeated. In that duel, both sides technically lost, with Kirito’s HP at zero.

Perhaps out of respect or for other reasons, Kayaba used his GM privileges to cancel the Nerve Gear’s brain-frying mechanism for Kirito. Thus, despite Kirito’s supposed death, he survived thanks to Kayaba’s intervention.

In truth, if Kayaba had wanted, he could have refused to acknowledge Heathcliff’s death since Kirito had technically lost. But he graciously accepted his defeat.

In short, Kayaba could manipulate the life and death of all players in SAO. Even players in safe zones weren’t exempt; if he wished, he could kill them with a single click.

”You’re using Asuna as a hostage to threaten me?” Charlie asked coldly, his gaze sharpening.

”You could see it that way.” Heathcliff nodded, showing no shame for resorting to such a despicable tactic.

”Haaa…”

With that sigh, Charlie’s fighting spirit faded. The dangerous aura surrounding him slowly dissipated. Clearly, he was intimidated by the other party.

He had no choice.

The safety of the protagonist and heroine was his top priority.

Asuna and Kirito’s lives were in Heathcliff’s hands. It could be said that Heathcliff’s threat was far greater than even the Abyssal Devourer.

”A wise decision.”

Seeing Charlie relent, Heathcliff sheathed his sword, a faint victorious smile on his lips.

(Hypnosis and other mind-control techniques failed. Did he anticipate this and apply a buff to counter it? Dealing with smart people is such a hassle. I’d rather fight brainless muscleheads.)

Not giving up entirely, Charlie secretly used Spirit Arts to manipulate Heathcliff’s mind.

The result? Complete failure.

Heathcliff was entirely unaffected, as if an invisible mental wall protected him.

”Invader, I want you to stop interfering with SAO’s progression. If you do, the players’ efforts will be meaningless, and that’s not what I want to see.”

”No way! Without me, who knows how many lives would be lost!”

Charlie rejected Heathcliff without hesitation.

He might no longer be the naive idealist he once was, but he couldn’t turn a blind eye to evil happening right in front of him when he had the power to help.

”Don’t be so quick to refuse. In exchange, I’ll give you what you want.” Heathcliff said, his tone calm and persuasive, like a skilled negotiator.

”…”

Charlie’s silence was tantamount to confirmation that he was considering the offer. Relieved that the other party didn’t outright refuse, Heathcliff continued his proposal.

”You seem to care deeply about Asuna. So, I’ll let her log out and return to the real world as long as you stop interfering with SAO. How about it? It’s a win-win, right?”

A small, calculating smile curved Heathcliff’s lips.

”You can do that?” Charlie asked, his voice tinged with doubt.

The idea of directly saving Asuna was incredibly tempting.

”It’s a trivial matter. I told you before—in this world, I am a god.” Heathcliff shrugged, his gesture showing how effortless it would be for him.

”Let me think for a moment.” Charlie said, closing his eyes to consider the enticing offer.

”Sure.”

Heathcliff didn’t mind giving him time. On the contrary, he was hopeful the deal would succeed. It would grant him full control over SAO’s progression without interference from an unexpected invader.