Sword Art Online Crossover: They're all close friends, how did I become a player?

"Hell is divided into eight major hells and eight cold hells, totaling sixteen minor hells and 272 divisions. Ahead is the Yama Hall, the office of King Yama and the political center of hell. Please follow me."

A man dressed in a black kimono, expressionless, holding a spiked club, and exuding a strong sense of guild authority walked ahead.

The man was very handsome, with short, black hair parted in the middle that looked very smooth. He had a distinctive "ghost horn" on the center of his forehead, leading Yu Bai to wonder if the man's center-parted hairstyle was simply due to the ghost horn.

Furthermore, the man's ears were not human-shaped; instead, they resembled the pointed ears of an elf.

The man, named Hozuki, was a demon and also an assistant to Yama, the King of Hell. As he walked, he introduced the surrounding environment and the classification of Hell to Yu Bai.

"what!!!!!!"

Suddenly, Hozuki swiftly swung his spiked club, as if it were just a casual flick. Yu Bai only saw a blur before his eyes, and a black shadow flew through the air, its scream echoing in the empty hell.

It turned out to be a ghost being chased by other prison guards who happened to run up to Hozuki's side, and was sent flying without Hozuki even blinking.

As for why the two of them ended up in this situation, and why Yu Bai, who was perfectly fine, ended up in hell.

This all started with that hole dug by some scoundrel.

After falling into that hole, he plummeted downwards. Until one moment, it seemed as if he had pierced through endless darkness and layers of earth, and suddenly his vision brightened, and he found himself in mid-air.

The feeling of weightlessness returned instantly. Before Yu Bai could think, he instinctively mobilized his divine power as the God of the Moon, allowing himself to float steadily in mid-air.

After regaining his footing in the air, he began to take in his surroundings.

The surrounding area was a distorted and deformed scene, with the seemingly dead trees standing like skeletons, their branches turning into withered tentacles, making a chilling rustling sound in the wind.

Despair and wailing filled the air. A group of normally docile and harmless animals had become ferocious and were tearing at several souls dressed in white with distorted faces.

His gaze wandered around, and suddenly, it settled on a man dressed in a black kimono.

Yu Bai looked down and met those deep, dark eyes. At that moment, it was as if the whole world had stood still.

……

"Lord Hozuki~ Lord Hozuki~ What are you looking at?" A talking Samoyed hopped over to Hozuki's side, curiously asking the black-haired spirit who always looked up at the sky.

"Oh, it's Shiro." Hozuki glanced at the little white dog at his feet, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

“I am admiring my ‘masterpiece’ that I spent six whole hours creating.”

The white Shiba Inu named Shiro followed Hozuki's gaze and looked up at the sky. Hell is different from the human world and heaven. The sky here is always shrouded in gloom and there is never a moment of sunshine. Or rather, to be precise, there is no sun in Hell, which is located underground.

However, at this moment, it was as if a huge hole had been punched in the sky, and a ray of bright light pierced through the hole, falling on the ground not far away and forming a unique spot of light.

"Huh? Could it be that Lord Hozuki dug a hole in the human world?" Shiro stared wide-eyed in surprise at the spot of light.

"No, I didn't dig it up." Hozuki shook his head, a playful smile curving his lips.

"I simply dug a tunnel between heaven and earth for some idiotic divine beast. This guy fell down and smashed this hole open. I have to admire him; he's truly a divine beast, with thick skin and tough flesh."

The idiotic divine beast that Hozuki mentioned is none other than Hakutaku, who lives in the paradise of heaven.

The two are often said to look extremely alike; one is an assistant to Hell, and the other is Bai Ze, a mythical beast from China. Both possess immense power, so they must have a good relationship.

In reality, however, the two have a terrible relationship, often arguing and sabotaging each other. They also particularly hate hearing people say they look alike, especially Hozuki, even if the person saying it is his boss, Enma Daioh; he can throw a dart at him without hesitation.

Therefore, after Hakutaku angered Hozuki once again, Hozuki spent six hours without sleep digging a bottomless hole in the heavens, just to enjoy the astonished expression on Hakutaku's face when he fell in.

Well, it's actually quite heartwarming. (laughs)

"But, Lord Hozuki, aren't you going to patch up this hole? What if a human accidentally falls in?" Shiro asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, I've covered it up," Hozuki said confidently, seemingly quite satisfied with his "masterpiece."

"Um, Lord Hozuki, is it possible that it was because you covered it up that a human accidentally fell down?" Shiro listened to Hozuki's words, his two round eyes narrowing into two lines in exasperation.

"but……"

"Ahhhhhhh! Who could be so heartless as to dig such a hole in the road?!" Just as Xiaobai was about to say something, a shout came from the sky.

The man and dog instantly looked up, following the sound. There, where someone had just confidently assured that no one would fall, a figure with long silver hair was now plummeting rapidly.

Fortunately, the silver-haired figure quickly levitated in mid-air, thus preventing the hellish ground from being smashed into a deep crater.

"God, Your Majesty?" Xiao Bai looked at the figure in the sky.

His long, silvery hair swayed gently in the wind, like the softest clouds in the sky, while the sunlight, like the most devout believer, softly fell on his flawless face, adding to his sacredness and splendor.

Such an existence, like a pure snow lotus blooming in the abyss of darkness, forms a stark and jarring contrast with the twisted scenes of this hellish landscape, appearing utterly out of place.

"Oh? A god?"

Hozuki's gaze fell on Yu Bai, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed, revealing a hint of inquiry. Then, his gaze caught the silver-haired god lowering his head to silently meet his eyes.

"Tsk."

When Hozuki's eyes met those golden eyes overflowing with purity and gentleness, he felt a sudden flutter in his heart. This unexpected feeling made him involuntarily turn his head away, while letting out a low click of his tongue to cover up the subtle changes in his heart.

"Excuse me, where is this place?"

……

Yu Bai: Which despicable guy did this?

Ghost Lantern: Smile (*￣︶￣)