It happened quickly without any warnings. On that faithful day, the log-out button, usually hidden inside the menu panel, went missing. Only a few noticed it at first but they all thought it was just a tiny short-term glitch. Reports were sent to the administrators but the response on the matter took long. Those poor hapless geeks, preoccupied with their escapism, failed to react on time.

Such fatal errors solidified the calamity that was about to unfold. Little did they know, it was the start of Armageddon.

After the disappearance of the log-out button, the next part of the chain of events happened in Gamer’s Den. The sun disappeared too, covering everything in darkness, and a moon took its place. It was no ordinary moon though as it only emitted a red-blood light. The digital simulation itself then bent and changed.

Landscapes and buildings popped in and out of sight, and the artificial intelligence went violent and insane. The AIs had become much harder to beat, seemingly tanking whatever the gamers threw. And if the difficulty spike was not enough, pain became real whenever the AIs attacked. Still, the people ignored it, believing it was just another weird random event.

As Gamer’s Den tried to assess this dilemma, the other areas also became engulfed in darkness. Monsters then materialized throughout the different areas. Orcs and eldritch abominations sprung forth from the Library, and more cunning supervillains and criminals turned Stan City inhospitable.

Everything happened so fast and so quickly. It seemed like one event was immediately followed by the next. New problems would come out almost every hour. Still, everyone thought it was just a simple software malfunction.

But then, a day later, the unthinkable happened. A gamer with the username RemRammenstein69, was gutted from behind with a large butchering knife, by a giant AI wearing an apron and a pyramid on its head. When the gamer died, the admins noticed that his avatar did not respawn at the clinic like it usually did. He just… died… his body remaining where he once stood. It was the first recorded death in the Escapist Dream for the past three years. Soon, new reports of geeks getting KIA travelled all throughout the virtual reality world, together with other more hideous crimes like torture and rape.

The geeks tried to find a way to get out, but the system became unhackable. They tried sending messages to the outside world, asking for help, but they were all rejected, only receiving a reply saying “Nah-ah-ah!” Was it a hacking, a prank, or a new virus that had taken over the Escapist Dream? One thing that was certainly born from this experience was regret. The geeks should have stayed in the real world.

The number of casualties continued, multiplied even, and the geeks could do nothing but retreat.

“Aniki…” Haru said as she stood with Ryūji, but her brother said nothing. His mind was in deep thought – his eyes blank – as he stared at Otaku Academy, now covered in dark shadows with crazed laughter coming from the inside.

The other otakus also did nothing but watch. None dared to check what had happened to the place, and if their friends inside were still even alive. Like Ryūji, many had equally somber faces; the appearance that spoke of damaging trauma, their minds filled only with memories of horrid assaults from monsters. It had only been two mere days since the log-out button’s disappearance.

None of them were actually present when Otaku Academy was attacked. But when they returned to the school, hoping to find safety, it was too late as darkness had overtaken it. Some otakus sobbed while others clenched their fists and gritted their teeth with frustration.

“Aniki, talk to me please,” pleaded Haru. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know,” Ryūji replied. “This is probably because of a virus. It’s gotta be.”

“But should we do something? We can’t just stand here and–”

“I want to go there, Haru-chan. I really do. But I can’t just allow us all to go in there without knowing what’s inside. Have you heard what happened to the other places? They said the AIs have gone crazy. Ours had probably gone insane too.”

“We can beat them, aniki. I just leveled up yesterday. I can unlock a new power so you don’t have to worry about me.”

“It’s not the AIs whom I’m worried about. Some of the other admins have warned me of NPCs much stronger than typical AIs. Some form of ‘boss’ or some shit. A boss that might be lurking inside. The other admins also said they were unbeatable and could do horrible stuff like… like… oh God, I’m sorry…”

Haru had never seen her brother like this. One of the smartest people she had ever known, now crying and broken. She couldn’t help but hug him and share in his distraught. The Escapist Dream that used to make them happy, was now killing them.

However, Haru must not let it end like this. Idleness would only get them killed; they had to do something. She continued to run her hand over Ryūji’s back to calm him down, before whispering to his ear, “We can’t stay here, aniki. Please, snap out of it.”

The voice of Haru finally awakened Ryūji. He then embraced Haru one last time before he faced the other otakus. With his bearings back, his passion for leadership reignited, he then told the otakus, “The academy is gone, but we will get it back someday. Right now, we have to find the other geeks–”

“Where are we going to find the others?” one of the otakus interrupted.

“Stan City seems to be the nearest, but we’re not going there knowing that the place has also been affected. But maybe we can find some geeks in its outskirts.”

Ryūji was right. Better to find the others as there was always safety in numbers.

The path to the land of comic books was a grueling one since the outskirts itself had turned barren. Every trudge was uncomfortable; their feet sinking in the clay like it was trying to eat them. There were no pirate ships, Mach 5s, Toyota AE86s, or talking Hermes motorcycles to make their journey easier. They also feared travelling through the blood-colored sky, which might be filled with flying monsters.

Only three hours in their travel did trouble find the otakus.

A large flaming object suddenly came barreling from the heavens. “Look out!” Ryūji yelled as he took Haru away. The otakus scrambled, too late to react in time to use their powers, as the object buried itself with so much force that it created tremors. Thankfully, no otaku was hurt during the crash.

They cautiously approached the smoking round brown object the size of a bus. Ryūji wanted to tell them to stay away, but curiosity took hold, and the otakus needed to make sure it wouldn’t pose a threat.

Suddenly, a powerful stream of smoke leaked out of the object. Its surface then shifted and a human-sized hole appeared. Inhuman moans then came out of the hole. The otakus backed away in horror as a gang of men, with white crosses above their heads, crawled out of the craft. The men were Asian in origin, wearing a weird expression that could only be described as perpetual horniness. They wore tight-fitting pink spandex, covering almost everything except their faces and hands. So tight their suits were, emphasizing their skinny skeletal physique and tiny bulges. They crawled towards the otakus on their black chucks, humming and moaning, some yelling, “‘Ey boss! Gibe de pusi, boss! Gibe de pusi! Feed my children! Feed my children!”

“What the fuck?!” Ryūji yelled in panic.

“Hey! The fuck are you morons, doing?! Get the fuck back in line!” another being who also came out of the craft, yelled. He had the appearance of a short man, wearing a red jacket, a blue beanie with a yellow puffball on top, as well as yellow mittens. He too had a white cross above his head. He walked like a flash animation – flat and seemingly pasted on the scenery. He had no neck and upper arms, but had stubby legs carrying his plump number 8-shaped body. This thing was familiar to Ryūji, like that plump character from that American television show South Park.

“Why did you leave meeeeeeeeee!” the pink-wearing guys yelled as they humped the air with their hips. The otakus recoiled in fear at the revolting sight. These were not something the Escapist Dream could randomly spawn. They certainly did not look like the other NPCs the otakus had seen. These were something that could have only come out of the minds of unorthodox imaginators. And such unreal creatures scared the otakus as they had no idea what these beings were capable of.

“Fuck! Let’s get this fucking thing fucking started! And if any one of you fuckers call me fat, you’re dead!” the not-fat little man said while trying to put as many F-bombs in his dialogue.

“Nyeeeeeeuuuuurrrgggggg!” the pink-wearing men moaned in unison, before they drew their glock pistols. They began firing them sideways like gangsters as the otakus ran for cover.

“Get out of here, Haru!” Ryūji shouted as he pushed Haru away.

“Aniki!” screamed Haru tearfully.

“Just go, Haru! Just go!” commanded Ryūji. There’s no way in living hell he would allow these beings to get even an inch close to his sister. The otaku admin then unsheathed his black katana and charged at the pink-wearing men. He sliced, beheading one, before dismembering another. One of the pink-wearing men managed to climb Ryūji’s back, holding him tight, seemingly humping him as well. But the disgusted admin headbutted his face, before shoulder-throwing him to the ground. Ryūji then finished the bastard off with a stab, killing him.

“Mmmmmmmmyyyuuuuuuuuhhhhh!” the pink-wearing men yelled. They then turned their backs on Ryūji and bent themselves over, aiming their butt at the otaku. Yellow laser beams then came out of their asses, hitting Ryūji multiple times, knocking him out. The pink bastards then drew long plastic sticks with balls of different sizes on the shaft. These were anal beads for those who were innocent of these kinds of things.

“Aniki!” Haru roared in anguish as her brother was surrounded by the perverted pink-wearing men.

“Anal beeeeaaaaaddddddsss! Anal beeeeaaaaaddddddsss! It goes pop pop pop when it’s coming up my asshole…” the pink men sang.

The other otakus saw this, and not wanting to just stand there and watch as their admin got violated, they unleashed their powers to save him. They fired their ki blasts and kunai knives, hitting many pink-wearing men. Some charged with their samurai swords, slicing and dicing the limbs of those bastards as they screamed in pain.

“Oh no you fucking don’t!” the not-fat little man said, before his costume changed, now sporting a domino mask, raccoon ears, and a tail. He dashed towards the otakus, slashing them with his gloves that had foot-long blades. He also summoned mace cans which he used to blind many, before summoning a nightstick which he used to shatter the shins of others. The moment the pink-wearing men got their cool back, they gleefully joined the fray and did horrible things to the otakus with their anal beads.

“Oh, no…” Haru said, paralyzed with fear.

“Konnichiwa, senpai,” the pink-wearing freaks sang. “Please notice me. I watch Asian cartoons. I’m a weeaboo…”

“No! Stay away!” Haru screamed as some of the freaks walked towards her, with eyes filled with morbid intent and diabolical passion.

Come on, Haru! Panicking isn’t going to help you. Think! You’ve just leveled up to level 20. You haven’t used it yet so use it now!

Haru pulled her menu panel and clicked the level button. She knew just the thing that could potentially save them.

As the pink-wearing men watched, Haru started playing with her fingers. She then bit her right index finger, making blood trickle, before striking her palms to the ground, yelling, “Kuchiyose no Jutsu!”

Lightning struck the area and a flash of light blinded their eyes. The moment their sights returned, something now stood behind Haru. It was an 80-meter-tall kaiju that had the image of a bipedal turtle with a tusk and a long tail. A mighty roar came from its mouth, greeting everyone, telling them they were now in big trouble.

“Gamera!” yelled Haru to her new summoned monster. “Destroy those pink people!”

The monster shrieked with so much force that the earth shook. It then jumped on the pink-wearing freaks like it was jumping on goombas, squashing and flattening many, their bodies exploded into red mist. Many tried to run away, but the monster breathed orange plasma fireballs which vaporized them.

“Oh, fuck this! Fuck fuck fuck!” the not-fat little man said as he ran back to the craft. With a whirl, the craft shot itself into the sky at supersonic speed. The kaiju wasn’t going to let him go easily though. It tucked its head, arms, and legs back into its shell, before said shell began to spin with enough power to propel it into the air. The shell then flew like a frisbee, hitting the object, making it explode.

“Ryūji?! Aniki!” Haru said as she put her brother’s head into her lap. “Daijoubu?!”

“I’m okay, Haru,” replied Ryūji as he got back up. “A bit shook, but I’m okay.”

The surviving otakus then regrouped. They too were shaken by what just happened. Many had lost their minds from what had occurred – the horrible experience and the comrades they had lost. How could something so unpleasant happened to them in this place – the world that should have given them an escape from cruelty.

“I’m sorry, everyone,” Ryūji told them. “But we can mourn later. Right now, we have to find the others. If we don’t, then we’re all going to be wiped out.”

But before they moved out, Ryūji took Haru’s hand and held her tight. Haru was surprised by this, but she could feel his shaking body, and his tears moistening her cheeks. “I almost lost you! God, I am so stupid! So stupid! So stupid!”

“I-I am alright, aniki...”

“I’m so sorry, Haru-chan. I am really really sorry! Never again, never again, never again...”