Upon dying while fighting monsters, a player revives at the Cathedral and Shiroe deduces that they are truly trapped inside the game. After another meeting with the Crescent Moon Alliance, Shiroe and co. learn of the stabilizing power balance between guilds in the District of Akihibara in addition to a rise in recent PKings. While heading back to Akihibara after a day of training Shiroe and Naotsugu anticipate an ambush from nearby PKers, forcing them into a direct confrontation. However the PKers' overconfidence quickly becomes their undoing as Shiroe and Naotsugu's team work proves to be too much for them and are quickly overpowered by the latter's high-level combinations. In desperation, the PK leader tries calling in reinforcements only to discover they have been already taken down by Akatsuki. Feigning defeat, the leader tries to attack Shiroe however Akatsuki kills him. In the aftermath, Shiroe and co. try to discern the motives of the players in the game, and he deduces that since people can survive in-game without doing anything, the string of PKings were purely for entertainment purposes. Afterwards, Shiroe receives a call from Marielle and learns that she intends to take a party on a mission to rescue their comrade Serara in the District of Susukino and asks Shiroe to take care of the guild in her absence. However, Shiroe and his friends counter by deciding to go in Marielle's stead.