Mash-up Anime World: Creating the SCP Foundation to Contain Anomalies

The boss strategy meeting was convened—and then quickly concluded.

After all, there wasn't much additional intel to analyze.

The main purpose of the meeting was to gather the players in the raid group, count their numbers, divide them into squads, and assign potential roles in advance.

For example, one group would be in charge of switching in to attack, another to tank as MT, and another to pull elite mobs away.

Truth be told, these things didn't need to be emphasized anymore—most of the raid group players already understood what to do.

After all, they had coordinated numerous times before.

But what truly surprised the raid group players this time was—

The legendary "Black Asura" had actually joined the raid.

Everyone felt a bit of disbelief.

After all, this legendary figure had always worked alone.

He had left their raid group in the dust, accomplishing one incredible solo boss kill after another.

But at the same time, his presence greatly boosted the players' morale.

With this legendary figure here, wasn't the boss as good as cleared?

Meanwhile, the commander of the Knights of the Blood and the shadow leader of the raid group—the so-called "Holy Shield" among players—

Kayaba Akihiko—

Was feeling extremely conflicted inside.

The person sitting at the meeting table had already seen through his entire disguise.

Yet, he still had to act out the final scene.

He even felt somewhat grateful that this person—who had just sentenced him to death—was willing to go along with his performance.

Kayaba Akihiko felt like crying.

His mental state was breaking!

The Floor 90 Boss, the "Sword Sovereign," was a high-level humanoid boss.

Its behavior patterns were intricate, and its skill set was massive.

Moreover, it was relatively small in size.

This made it hard for the raid group—used to fighting large bosses with multi-point DPS strategies—to adapt.

However, with Haruto and Shiro present—

Haruto alone could fully keep the Sword Sovereign occupied.

And Shiro's tactical calculations and commands were so precise it was as if he could see the future.

Let's skip the process.

In short, with the raid group essentially tagging along numbly, the Sword Sovereign was defeated easily.

In the past, after clearing a boss, most players would collapse to the ground, breathing heavily.

And they would cheer to celebrate the victory.

But today... there was no cheering.

It was all too easy—it made them question reality.

And just as the raid group players were lost in self-doubt—

Haruto suddenly moved.

He drew his sword with one hand, sending a brilliant arc of light slashing down on Kayaba Akihiko's back.

The raid group players who noticed screamed out in shock.

But in the next moment, a message popped up over Kayaba Akihiko: "Indestructible."

Everyone was stunned.

"You're Kayaba Akihiko, aren't you? I watched your fights and noticed something strange. Your HP never dropped below half. And your shield's movements during battle were suspicious."

"…"

"…"

"Well, I guess it makes sense. In an RPG, the most boring thing is just sitting back and watching others play."

Haruto delivered a whole analytical monologue.

It was, in a way, Kayaba Akihiko's final moment of dignity.

Though... Haruto clearly couldn't be bothered to act.

So it came off a bit like he was reading from a script—awkward and stiff.

Kayaba Akihiko's face twitched nonstop.

He wanted to complain.

But... he held back.

The person before him had at least gone along with the show—and that was already a huge favor.

"I didn't expect to be discovered. I was originally planning to reveal myself as the final boss once you all reached the last floor. But as a reward, I'll give you a chance. Defeat me here, and SAO will be liberated early."

After finishing his lines, Kayaba Akihiko opened a panel and paralyzed everyone in the room.

And so, amid the raid group's shock at the truth, their anger at being tricked, and the excitement of seeing hope—

Haruto and Kayaba Akihiko began their duel.

Then—

Kayaba Akihiko realized the person before him was an utter monster.

For a normal player, even surpassing the system once to unleash a "Will of the Heart" strike was astonishing.

But Haruto?

Every move he made was a Will of the Heart. Surpassing the system was as easy for him as eating or drinking.

Even with all the system aids turned on to the max—he was still being completely overwhelmed.

As his second HP bar—recovered through cheating—was finally depleted,

Kayaba Akihiko opened the system and ended the game.

All players were released.

Kayaba Akihiko then pulled Haruto up to the clouds above the tower.

Yui was also there.

"As you said, SAO is over. Here's the 'Seed'—I'm entrusting it to you."

Kayaba Akihiko handed Haruto the "Seed" with a numb expression. It was the SAO source code—a foundation for full-dive gaming.

Haruto casually took it but didn't care much.

After all, the Foundation had long since mastered full-dive technology—and it was far more advanced.

Kayaba Akihiko could tell Haruto wasn't interested.

He smiled bitterly.

"Sigh, I guess I don't have much left to say. But I do have one final request. Even if SAO vanishes, please... at least keep her.

She had nothing to do with SAO. She's the legacy of my senpai's final wish.

So please, even if I'm in no position to ask."

Kayaba Akihiko looked at Yui and spoke sincerely.

As the saying goes: "A dying man's words are kind."

With SAO shutting down, Kayaba Akihiko would soon face his second death—

A death of consciousness—complete erasure.

And this time, Haruto gave a serious nod.

"I'll make sure Yui is taken care of."

Though honestly, even without Kayaba Akihiko's request, Haruto would've done so anyway.

Hearing Haruto's promise, Kayaba Akihiko smiled.

In the distance, the tower began to collapse. The world Kayaba Akihiko had built with his life, talent, and time—

Had come to its end.

Haruto's consciousness returned to his body.

The Foundation would immediately seize and manage the SAO hardware. They would also attempt to extract Yui, or rather the old AI (SCP-079).

Whether it would succeed was unknown.

However, Yui seemed willing to cooperate. And the old AI—oddly—had gone completely silent. It relinquished all control to Yui. Further tests and interactions would be carried out later.

But for now—

Haruto opened his eyes.

And saw that not far away, on the hospital bed—

Yuuki Asuna had also just opened her eyes and sat up.

As previously mentioned, under the Foundation's biotechnological care, her body had been maintained in optimal condition.

Still, after returning to her body, she was clearly disoriented.

After all, the stats of her in-game avatar far exceeded her real body.

But Asuna pushed aside the discomfort.

She looked at the boy beside her, and tears silently fell from her eyes.

So the senpai she had admired...

Had been by her side all along.

Thinking back to all the sleepless nights in the game—if she had known that Haruto was nearby in the real world...

She might not have had so many sleepless nights.

Just thinking about it brought her peace of mind.

However—

Haruto only visited this private hospital on occasion.

Cough cough...

At that moment, Asuna's father and brother rushed in.

Seeing their daughter (or little sister) awake, they were overwhelmed with joy.

It had been a whole year.

Much shorter than the original story's two and a half years. But still, it had kept their family in endless worry.

Asuna, seeing her father and brother, was also sincerely happy.

Haruto quietly stepped out of the private room, giving the three of them some time alone.

Not long after, Asuna slowly walked out.

At the very least, she didn't need help walking. She should be able to return to normal life in a couple of days.

"Haruto-senpai, I'm so happy to finally see you again."

Asuna said with a bright smile.

Haruto replied, confused, "Didn't we just see each other in-game a moment ago?"

But Asuna shook her head.

"It's not the same!"

No matter how realistic the game was, it could never replace reality.

Asuna now understood this deeply.

"Anyway, soon I'll get to attend school with Haruto-senpai! I'm really looking forward to school life!"

She spoke excitedly.

But upon hearing that, Haruto coughed awkwardly.

Girl, you're dreaming too much!

Seeing Haruto's expression, Asuna looked confused.

Was something wrong?

Then, she heard Haruto explain:

"Asuna, you know I'm not a regular student at Shuchiin Academy—I'm just an exchange student. One academic year has passed, and next semester, I have to return to Sobu High School."

Asuna was stunned, as if struck by lightning.

How could this be?!

She had been looking forward to their school life together ever since hearing she could transfer.

But now, not even a single day of that sweet, imagined school life would come true.

Aaaaaahhhhh!

World, you've abandoned me!