Why did Hikigaya save the anime girls in Sword Story?

After logging out, Argo said to the undercover agent:

"It's done, General."

“This name is so shameful…”

"That's called Zaimokuza?"

"This is still good. Did it go well?"

"Success, I'll withdraw first"

"Please take care!"

Zaimokuza stared into space, and whispered to his wife, Yamaguchi:

"It's up to you from now on, Hachiman."

He silently sent his blessings to his friend.

ALO : Chapter 119: A Strange Encounter

"Hey, do you see what looks like a pillar up ahead?"

Hikigaya Hachiman, who was flying in the air, suddenly slammed on the brakes, and his black windbreaker fluttered in the strong wind.

Everyone looked forward intently, and seemed to be able to see something vaguely.

"Hmm...I can indeed see a vague outline."

Leafa spread her emerald green wings and hovered in mid-air. Moonlight filtered through the elves' transparent ear tips, casting a silver hue on the tips of her light golden hair. "Coordinates N51°E128°, thirty-seven kilometers away... Yes, that's Arne's World Tree."

"Oh——" Everyone exclaimed in unison, and the originally tired team instantly exploded.

Klein pulled out a telescope from somewhere, but Silica, who was standing next to him, hit him on the back of his hand with a short stick. "Stupid Mr. Klein! Using props will trigger the alarm!"

"That's Arne."

Kirito held the black scabbard across his chest, and the alert instinct he developed during the SAO period made him subconsciously adopt a defensive posture.

When he noticed his reflexive reaction, he couldn't help but scratch his cheek with a wry smile. "It's called the World Tree, but the size is ridiculous, isn't it? Even in the Sky Tree dungeon on the 75th floor of Aincrad, I haven't seen such an exaggerated modeling."

"After all, it's the world tree that's said to be able to support nine kingdoms." Leafa paused, her fingertips unconsciously entwined with the ends of her hair.

"Is that the giant tree called the World Tree? It's truly magnificent."

“It’s probably still a few hours to our destination.”

"Wow, it's still so far."

“I’m a bit tired indeed.”

"That's true. Maybe we should take a break around here."

"Okay, then everyone take turns to rest."

After Hachiman made the decision, the team began to rest on the spot.

"Are there any monsters around here?"

"Well, there shouldn't be any monsters near Arne."

Leafa responded to Kirito's question.

"I see"

"However, a few days ago, a new difficult maze called Jotunheim was added to the underground of Arne, which is home to a large number of evil god-level monsters."

"Oh? So there are a lot of giant monsters?"

"I haven't been there so I don't know, but what makes you think that?"

"The name Jotunheim should be taken from the country where the giants live in Norse mythology."

"I see, Kirito-kun is truly knowledgeable."

"Ah, no, just common sense."

Seeing Kirito like this, Leafa couldn't help but think of her brother. Just as she was thinking about how her brother also loved collecting this kind of obscure knowledge, she suddenly realized that she was comparing the two of them and quickly shook her head to dismiss the thought.

(My brother is my brother, and Kirito is Kirito, but...)

Leafa was clearly aware that she cared more about Kirito than Kazuto at the moment.

(My brother has been mentioning the name "Liz" a lot lately. Given his expression back then, the girl named Liz must be the one he likes... So...)

Even though she couldn't figure it out, Leafa decided to put the issue aside for now.

Right now, she should focus on assisting Hachiman and Kirito's goals, and it wouldn't be too late to consider it after everything was over. However, at this moment, she suddenly noticed something.

(Wait, Hachiman said the big quests haven't been implemented yet, but judging by the situation, it's clear they're going to seriously tackle them. What's going on? Well, I'll ask Arne when I get there.)

The rested team set off again, but the next second, Hachiman suddenly issued a hasty warning:

"Sorry! Everyone stop!"

"What's wrong Hachiman?"

"Everyone look at that!"

Following the direction of his finger, a small village appeared at some point.

"This kind of village definitely doesn't exist."

"This scene... is like the scene in Silent Hill where the world switches to the outside world." Kirito subconsciously gripped the hilt of the sword, and the friction between his black leather gloves and the metal armor made a reassuring sound.

"I've never heard of a village here. Miss Leafa, do you have any impression of it?"

"Hmm...I've never seen or heard of such a village before."

"Come closer and let Yui conduct remote reconnaissance."

"Okay dad, we should be able to get more information if we get closer."

"Okay, stay alert and approach slowly."

Everyone approached the village cautiously.

"Yui, did you sense anything?"

"There don't seem to be any NPCs or players."

"That's it"

"There's a strong monster reaction in that building that looks like a hotel."

"It looks like a trap."

"Maybe, Dad."

"Can our team of ten handle it?"

“It’ll take some time, but it’s okay.”

"What do you think? If we leave it alone, Miss Sakuya and the others might get caught in it later."

"Indeed, it's safer to deal with it first while we still have enough combat power."

Everyone nodded.

"Alright, let's begin! Iroha, go big first!"

"Okay senior!"

"Miss Leafa and I will join the attack."

"Okay, let's go together."

The three began to chant attack magic. As the flames, hurricane force winds, and lightning intertwined and struck the inn, the building suddenly twisted and deformed, writhing like a living thing.

The wooden exterior peeled away, revealing the fleshy tissue underneath, transforming into a giant monster that looked like a combination of a jellyfish and a statue.

"Wow! What is this?"

"Statue...jellyfish?"

"So big"

"It looks like a summoned beast from the set of Final Fantasy..." Silica put away her weapon.

"I've never seen an enemy like this before. It could be an evil god."

"Evil God... just what I want."

"Everyone, prepare for battle!"

Just as Hachiman was giving the order, Yui suddenly noticed something unusual.

"Please wait, Dad!"

"What's wrong, Yui?"

"The child doesn't seem hostile"

"Even after being attacked, he still has no hostility? Is that possible?"

“I also…”

The statue jellyfish moves sideways several steps, waving with its tentacles, and the burrow beneath it seems to imply an invitation.

"Yui, are you sure you don't have any hostility?"

“Absolutely correct.”

"it is good..."

Hachiman took the lead and walked towards the cave, and everyone followed closely behind. When they looked inside, they saw an extremely vast world extending out from the cave.

"Could this be... Jotunheim?"

"real or fake"

"Ah! The official website seems to have seen a similar scene."

The statue jellyfish showed special interest in Kirito, constantly pointing at its back and the hole in the ground.

"It seems to be saying 'Get on board and go together'."

"It seems that it particularly likes Mr. Kirito."

"Although it's very cute, I'm sorry, we still have a mission to complete. How about calling you Dongqi?"

"Donki?"

"Oh, sorry, seeing it reminds me of stories about elephants during wartime."

"The one at Ueno Zoo?"

"Well, I have some related picture books at home."

"There's one at Leafa's too? What a coincidence."

"Kirito-kun's family has one too? What a coincidence!"

"Let's just call him Dongqi. Even though it's unlucky, he doesn't know how to name himself anyway."

As soon as Hachiman finished speaking, Kirito said to the monster happily:

"Okay! From today on, your name is Dongqi! Although we can't go together now, we will go to Jotunheim one day. Don't forget us until then."

Not sure if he understood or not, but Dongqi retreated back into the cave with an expression of both joy and loneliness. As the cave closed, the village disappeared without a trace.

"What on earth was that just now?"

"It's probably a trap to forcibly teleport players to Jotunheim."

"Such a human-like monster is rare."

"We will meet again if fate allows. Let's regroup and set off again."

As the World Tree got closer, Yui suddenly exclaimed:

"This ID is... Dad! Mom is right above!"

ALO: Chapter 120: Conversation with Asuna