Second World - Chapter 1978: . Hiding from the Divine

18 and naive, Belle Hart thought marriage would end her misery, only to realize it had just begun!What started as a promising love turned out to be a facade, would Belle choose between a second chance or leave? She met her mate, the Duke, who she proposed to when she came of age.A month in, things took a turn. The Duke leaves for war before she could inform him about her pregnancy, only for him to return with a mysterious woman whom he claimed to be his new wife! The audacity! Trouble ensued and Belle suffered a miscarriage as a result.…“What did you just say?” He asked, his gaze darkening.“You heard me well, I seek a divorce. I wish for us to go our separate ways,” she replied, her voice steady as she met his gaze with confidence, though inwardly she was shaken by his presence.“You are my mate, Belle, and I am yours. Divorce is the most foolish notion you could entertain. Do you believe any man would take a worthless creature like you as his wife?” He scoffed, his words biting, causing her heart to ache.…The Duke's refusal pushed Belle into the arms of the king. All she had to do was bear him an heir and he would help her get her revenge!“I want you to marry me, Your Majesty, and aid me in seeking my revenge against the Duke and those who have wronged me. In exchange, I shall bear you an heir before you help me,” she said, her voice steady and full of purpose.What will the choice be?

In the year 2022, gamers rejoice as Sword Art Online-a VRMMORPG (Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) like no other-opens its virtual doors, allowing players to take full advantage of the ultimate in gaming technology: NerveGear, a system that allows users to completely immerse themselves in the game world by manipulating their brain waves to create a wholly realistic gaming experience.

But when the game goes live, the elation of the players quickly turns to horror as they discover that, for all its amazing features, SAO is missing one of the most basic functions of any MMORPG-a log-out button.

Now trapped in the virtual world of Aincrad, their bodies held captive by NerveGear in the real world, users are issued a chilling ultimatum: conquer all one hundred floors of Aincrad to regain your freedom. But in the warped world of SAO, “game over” means certain death-both virtual and real…

Darkness is coming, and crisis is everywhere. In this long dark and desperate night, do you want to see a bonfire with warm words? We are that light.

We don’t want to be the little bully who guards one-third of an acre and eats canned food.

We don’t want to drive the harem on a great escape from east to west.

We don’t want to be a bunch of rats guarding rancid cheese in the gutter.

We don’t want to see the panic on your faces and the desperation in your screams.

So we stand up, fight for ourselves, fight for you, fight for humanity!

As long as we are here, the flames of war will never be extinguished.

We light a warm bonfire in the dark night, and watch the dawn with the brilliance of life.

We are the shield of the earth, the patron saint of mankind!

- Description from novelbuddy

By the coast, a hundred-meter Star Gate shimmered with flowing light.Beyond the Star Gate, an army forged of steel stretched as far as the eye could see.Above the Sky Dome, squadrons of fighter jets streaked across, weaving an iron curtain.In the distant ocean, scores of aircraft carriers, destroyers, and frigates dotted the seascape, ready for action.All cannons were aimed at the figure who emerged from the Star Gate.“In the name of the Federation Command Center, I order you to stand down, or what awaits you is total war,” said the voice.“War?”Gu Jinlai took a step forward, and his form swelled against the wind, in an instant growing from less than two meters tall to a colossal Chaos Demon God thousands of kilometers high, emitting the brilliance of a white dwarf star from his being, his own gravity causing thunder and lightning, as well as tsunamis and tides within a thousand-mile radius.He looked down...At the war weapons that seemed like toys.He reached out, and a hydrogen bomb fell into his hand.Within him, the electron-degenerate star core released Helium, Helium elements expanded, and the terrifying high temperature instantly caused Deuterium and Tritium, Hydrogen's isotopes, to fuse, the energy bursting forth, forming a blazing white brilliance on the ocean's surface that was like igniting a sun.Before this sun's energy could be released, he clapped his hands together, and the dazzling white, mixed with heat in the billions of degrees, was compressed and sealed within his palms, not a fragment escaping.“I think, you should choose peace.” he suggested.