"Hahaha! How ridiculous. We red-named players might have killed a dozen or so people at most. But you? You've killed over two thousand. You're the real demon lord—if anyone deserves prison, it's you." The red-named players laughed wildly, eyes gleaming with malice.
"Curse me! Shout! Hate me if you wish! None of it matters. Because now... I will deliver the most terrifying punishment imaginable." Kurumi Tokisaki adjusted her glasses, the cold light reflecting in her lenses. Her expression perfectly mirrored that of Kayaba Akihiko.
"Wha—!"
Before the man could finish, Kurumi sealed all of their speech abilities.
"Next... you will be imprisoned in an endless void—an eternal dark room without borders. No matter how cruel your punishments have been, nothing compares to the agony of eternal solitude."
As she spoke, black mist began to form between the prison bars, spreading slowly. The dim light within each cell started to fade away.
"In this infinite darkness, you will be completely alone. Within three days, your minds will collapse. A week later, your sanity will return—but by then, all human emotions will have faded. What remains will be eternal loneliness."
The black mist thickened, fully enveloping the prison. Darkness swallowed every bit of light, leaving only pitch-black silence.
The players wanted to scream, but no sound came out. They tried to run, but no matter how far they moved, they could never reach the edge of the cell.
When they grew tired and tried to lie down, they discovered that the concept of a 'floor' no longer existed. The moment they leaned back, the space twisted—and they found themselves standing once more.
They stomped their feet, but felt no resistance. Though they stood, there was no ground beneath them.
Fear consumed them. Their bodies curled instinctively, yet in the weightless void they simply floated—adrift, as if lost in the dark vacuum of space.
Those who tried to walk in the dark eventually forgot why they were walking. With no path to follow, they forgot the meaning of walking itself. One by one, their concepts eroded—until all that remained was formless, voiceless darkness, a silent beast devouring every trace of emotion.
"Darkness is the most terrifying thing of all. When you emerge, you will be nothing but obedient tools." Light shimmered once more as Kurumi returned to her true form.
"Humans are the most terrifying creatures. Once you fall into corruption, you become demons—the most dreadful beings in existence. From the moment you chose that path, no punishment could ever be too much."
A door of light appeared beside Kurumi. It connected directly to the 33rd floor—her home.
"I once feared accepting humans. But little Futayo and Kimi showed me another possibility. I will try... to accept the humans I deem worthy." Turning away, she stepped through the light and emerged within Kimi Aoi's beautifully designed garden.
Sitting by the fountain, Kurumi opened the Book of the World. A pair of pure, radiant angelic wings unfolded behind her, bathing the garden in divine brilliance.
These were the Wings of Freedom—a gift from all humanity to the angels in the world of Guilty Crown, born of faith in the purest good. Kurumi had long been nurturing them within the Book of the World.
With a wave of her finger, two objects floated out from between the wings: a broken sword and a shattered, multicolored shield—the Voids of Yuu and Daryl from Guilty Crown, which Kurumi had once discovered by chance.
Of course, after leaving the Guilty Crown world, they could no longer be called Voids. They were now crystallizations of pure faith.
"Little Futayo... I, your god, have chosen to trust you. Therefore, I shall forge for you the most powerful divine weapon." With a faint smile, Kurumi gently caressed the broken sword and shield.
"Yuu, Daryl... I have a new knight now. The final trial will be entrusted to you. You are both the crystallization of human belief. If Futayo harbors even a single trace of hatred toward humanity, it shall mean she is unworthy to protect me." Her exquisite face wore a look of blissful devotion as she stroked the relics, her wine-red eyes shimmering with dreamlike intoxication.
"However... if Futayo passes your test, do not resist. Offer yourselves completely to forge her ultimate divine weapon. Through that, you shall protect me in another form. This is our pact. Do you accept?"
Without waiting for an answer, Kurumi returned the sword and shield to the angelic wings, then folded them away once more.
"Little Futayo! I've carefully prepared a romantic journey for you, my still-immature knight. Don't disappoint your god. Become my loyal knight—your loyalty need only belong to me. If you harbor feelings for anyone else, I'll get jealous, you know?" Kurumi Tokisaki smiled charmingly, her tone dripping with playful seduction.
With a sultry grin, she separated from Kimi Aoi and rested her head on Kimi's lap, dozing off peacefully. Her delicate face bore a gentle, sweet smile—yet, on closer look, one could still see... a trace of cunning beneath the serenity.
...
Three days later, Kurumi appeared once more—this time at the Dragon's Valley on the 100th floor.
But unlike three days ago, the once clear sky was now covered by endless black clouds. The suffocating atmosphere pressed down so heavily that it felt as though the heavens might collapse at any moment.
Whoosh... A cold wind swept across, and instantly, a string of abnormal status effects appeared above Kurumi's head.
"Slow, Rigid, Vision Impaired, Weakness, Soft Bone, Suffocation..." The mere touch of a cold breeze had already inflicted twelve different negative effects upon her.
"Impressive... all that just from a single gust of wind. What happens if it rains?" Kurumi muttered, half in awe, half in annoyance.
At that moment, the gleam in Kayaba Akihiko's glasses flashed sharply—and the skies opened.
Crash! A torrential downpour descended, every drop of rain pitch black.
The rain struck her body, searing like acid. Her pale hands corroded into bone within seconds.
"It hurts!" Kurumi screamed, immediately kicking Kayaba Akihiko across the field before pressing her one-click restore. Glancing at the skeletal remnants of her hands, she grimaced. She could only imagine what her face must look like—and was very glad she couldn't see it.
Kayaba staggered back toward her, blood dripping from his mouth. Kurumi's divine power had long transcended the limits of virtual attacks—his GM immunity was now meaningless.
"You dared to scar your goddess? Your self-destructive talent rivals that of a cat playing with death," Kurumi said coldly. Truly, he had a cat's habit of tempting fate.
"Are the negative potions ready?" she asked, quickly regaining composure and turning the topic back to business.
Kayaba adjusted his glasses once more, and with a glimmer of light, countless potion bottles materialized in the air. Kurumi counted—there were ninety-nine in total.
"These are all the harmful potions I could devise for the human body. I racked my brain, but could only come up with ninety-nine types," Kayaba said, a trace of regret on his face.
Kurumi's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are you mocking me? Saying I couldn't think of that many myself?" Her tone dripped with irritation. "Though, you're probably right."
"How do I use them?" she asked flatly, suppressing the urge to smack him with something solid. If he said anything stupid, she'd make sure he learned exactly how hard a brick could be.
"Just throw them. Simple and crude," Kayaba replied quickly. "But since there are too many effects, I set all abnormal statuses to non-lethal—no HP loss. For reference, the system caps monsters at seventy-two active debuffs. Any more and they'll crash. As for humans... I have no idea what the limit might be."
"Good," Kurumi said calmly. Then, without warning, she glanced down—and realized she was holding a brick again. "Ah... I really need to stop doing that subconsciously."
Kayaba flinched. "Put that thing away! Vengeance only breeds more vengeance!"
Kurumi hummed softly. "Add an attribute so these potions don't occupy inventory space and have no storage limit. Also, implement a one-click pickup function." She tucked the brick away and turned to leave the valley with calm poise.
"Such a convenient feature... No sane person would ever throw them away," Kayaba murmured, pushing his glasses up. The lenses flashed with a Conan-like brilliance. "I can already see the ending."
...
On the 33rd floor of Aincrad, within a traditional courtyard, Kurumi—dressed in a pink gown with twin tails—strolled alongside Asuna.
"Kimi-nee! Is this Honda-senpai's house?" Asuna asked curiously. She had been grinding levels when Kurumi summoned her out of nowhere—without explanation, simply leading her through the estate.
"Ah," Kurumi replied casually, but Asuna could sense her good mood. Kimi-nee was clearly delighted about something.
They soon reached the back garden, and Asuna's eyes widened. This was the very place where Honda Futayo had, at the age of five, cast away her sword and ring.
"Hey, Asuna... do you remember our promise?" Kurumi suddenly turned, smiling radiantly.
"Ahaha... that promise..." Asuna's smile froze. Her face darkened slightly with exasperation.
Of course she remembered. She and Kimi-nee had made three promises—but she doubted Kimi-nee remembered any of them.
"Which promise do you mean?" Asuna asked dryly, her tone tinged with resentment. If Kimi-nee once again said the whole 'dating' thing was a joke, she'd ignore her for a week. No—five days. Three, at least!
Kurumi's gentle smile softened. She untied her twin tails, letting her dark hair fall over her cheeks. Her expression transformed from serene to pure and innocent—the shift in aura was stunning.
Her wine-red eyes grew hazy, her head tilted slightly as she gazed at Asuna with an adorably confused look. "Onee-chan, where's Silica?"
"Ugh—!" Asuna's face turned crimson with both anger and embarrassment. Her lovely features flushed, eyes glistening.
"Kimi-nee, you idiot!" she shouted, voice trembling with flustered rage, before turning and running off. Why does she always remember everyone else's promises but not mine?!
"Eh? Why is Onee-chan angry?" the puzzled girl pressed a finger to her cheek, her face full of innocent confusion.