On the 100th floor, within the Dragon's Valley—the final labyrinth area—players' footsteps finally appeared. The Crystal Guild was the first to arrive, moving in large groups to hunt dragons, each member eager to become a dragon-slaying hero.
Soon after, players from other guilds also stepped into the valley, forming their own teams to slay dragons. Of course, the dragons they fought were of a completely different caliber from the one Futayo had slain.
Boom... A ten-meter-long earthen-red sub-dragon collapsed under the combined assault of dozens of players, erupting into a dazzling explosion of loot.
"Whoa! That last hit was mine! My luck's amazing—what a huge drop!" A member of the "Army" who had just joined the dragon-hunting shouted in delight.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Explosions echoed around them as other sub-dragons fell one after another, each death followed by a brilliant burst of treasure.
"Brother, it's not your luck—it's that these dragons are just rich. Tons of EXP, gear drops every time, and so many negative-effect potions you can't even count them," an older member of the Knights of the Blood patted the Army player's shoulder, explaining.
"Huh? These potions auto-looted—Blindness, Slow, Petrify, Armor Break, Weakness! Aren't these useful? We could use them on the big dragons!" The Army player said eagerly, clearly fantasizing about it.
"Forget it! Dragons are immune to all debuffs. They only work on lower-tier monsters. Planning to use them to grind mobs on earlier floors?" The veteran from the Knights of the Blood gave a knowing smile.
"Guess not! Killing one dragon here gives more EXP than a whole day of grinding elsewhere. I think we won't need these anymore—after all, the game's almost cleared," the Army youth said, scratching his head, smiling with renewed hope.
"Yeah, that's right! The game's nearly over. Who still wants to grind mobs? The only reason we're dragon hunting here is to pay homage to the glory of the God of War," the Blood Knight said, smiling as well. The God of War he referred to was Futayo Honda.
What? Don't agree? Then bring up the footage. Who else could accomplish the miracle of dragon-slaying?
What? You say that in the real world, Honda was only a top-tier swordswoman, not among the super-strong? Ahem! She's still young—give her a few more years, and she'll get there. Besides, we're talking about the Sword Art Online world here, not the Horizon world!
While players everywhere were forming teams to experience the thrill of dragon-slaying, what were the Crystal Guild members doing? Let's first look at the boys' side.
In the guild chat, Diabel: "It's broken! The record's been broken! Kirito's endurance record of 47 stacked debuffs has been surpassed! Starlight's now holding at 52 debuffs!"
"Really? Seriously? That glasses guy, Starlight? Who would've thought—he looks so frail, but his willpower's stronger than Kirito's!"
"Where's Starlight? Let us witness his greatness!"
Diabel: "Uh... he passed out. But I took a screenshot."
He then posted it to the guild chat—a picture of Starlight with a dark label above his head reading Abnormal Status ×52.
"Wow! That's incredible! Even if debuffs don't drain HP, they're still painful! Especially that Flesh Rot one—just one layer nearly made me faint! Respect! Total respect!"
"Hey, is Kirito awake yet? Can he tell us what 47 debuffs felt like?"
Kirito: "Never. Again."
Then, another screenshot dropped into the guild channel—Moemoe Tora? Abnormal Status ×57!
"..." Silence.
"..." The entire guild collectively fainted.
"Did Tora-sis reincarnate wrong or something?!"
Kirito: "Is this really the time to joke? Someone go check on her before she passes out for good!"
Now, let's check in with the girls' group.
A bunch of cute girls had gathered at Kurumi's house, lounging by the pond in the backyard and chatting idly. Then Silica pulled out a bundle of wooden sticks and said, "Since we've got nothing to do, let's play the King's Game!"
"The King's Game? Sounds a bit... pervy. I don't want to play," Kurumi said with a lazy smile, her crimson eyes glimmering playfully.
"Kimi-nee, of course you don't! It's too comfy lying on Futayo-nee's lap, huh!" Silica teased, handing out the wooden sticks one by one—even the reclining Kurumi got one.
"Alright! Who's the King?" Silica asked, eyes sparkling with excitement.
"I'm the King! Then I command number four to pat number three's head." Asuna held up her tag proudly, looking quite excited.
"Ara~ I'm number three?" Kurumi revealed her tag, her elegant face curved in a delighted smile. She always loved the number three.
"Then, who's number four?" Kurumi's gaze swept across the group. Asuna was the King. Sachi shook her head. Silica shook hers too.
Kurumi's eyes landed on Little Futayo. Her wine-red pupils gleamed instantly, as if a pair of cat ears had perked up atop her head, and a cat tail behind her swayed with eager anticipation.
In that moment, Kurumi looked just like a kitten begging for affection.
"This humble self dares not," Futayo said seriously, refusing with perfect composure. Kurumi's imaginary cat ears drooped instantly, her whole demeanor exuding disappointment.
"Muu~ There's no helping Little Futayo then. I'll just do it myself." Recovering quickly, Kurumi reached out and gently patted Futayo's head. Futayo's shoulders tensed immediately, her face filled with nervousness.
Second round! Silica asked again, "Who's the King?"
"Ara~ I am. Then, number one shall kiss number four." Kurumi raised her King's tag again.
Asuna: "I'm number two!"
Silica: "I'm number three!"
That meant numbers one and four could only be Futayo and Sachi.
"The King withdraws the order," Kurumi said flatly, tossing the King's tag aside.
Silica immediately protested, "Kimi-nee! The King can't take back their command!"
"I'm the King, so what I say goes," Kurumi replied, turning on her side to lie down on Futayo's lap, showing Silica her graceful back.
Third round. Silica: "Who's the King?"
Asuna's cheerful voice: "I'm the King!"
Fourth round. Silica: "Who's the King?"
Sachi's soft voice: "Um... I think it's me!"
Fifth round. Silica: "Who's the King?"
Kurumi: "Ara~ It's me again."
Sixth round. Silica: "Who's the King?"
"It is this humble self," Futayo said solemnly.
"..."
Nth round. Silica finally snapped, throwing her tag to the ground. "King, why are you like this?!" she shouted, breathing heavily in frustration. Not once had she been chosen as the King!
The next morning, Kurumi walked alone along the road outside her home.
A pink parasol rested in her hand. She wore a crimson pleated short skirt and a small round hat atop her head. Her entire outfit was elegant and refined—like a noble young lady out for a stroll.
It was Kurumi's favorite outfit, one she had worn twice before in the world of Guilty Crown: once for a cruise party, and once on her final day before leaving.
Now, she wore it again—because today, Kurumi was setting out alone to fulfill the promise she had made to Asuna.