"I'll remove your abnormal statuses." Kirito quickly searched his inventory for antidote potions to cure paralysis. He went first to Asuna—after all, as vice president of the Crystal Guild, she was his top priority.
"I'll do it myself. You go help the others," Asuna said firmly, her golden eyes flashing with fierce determination. She gave Kirito a brief glance, then closed her eyes.
"Kurumi-chan's kindness was taken for granted... Unforgivable!"
"Kurumi-chan only ever wanted to save you all, yet you tried to harm her... Unforgivable!"
"To trample on Kurumi-chan's feelings for your own selfish gain—unforgivable!"
"I'll punish you all!" Crack! The sound of breaking glass rang out as the word Paralysis shattered above Asuna's head. Her expression hardened as she wiped the tears from her eyes and stood tall.
"Kurumi-chan, you've always protected me beneath your wings. Now, I'll set aside my tears and weakness. Let me be your wings this time—let me protect you." Gripping her sword tightly, Asuna made her resolve.
High above, Kurumi covered her mouth with her folding fan, a faint smile on her lips. "Though humanity carries a demon within their hearts, they also possess wings capable of soaring beyond miracles. That's why I fear you all... and why I love you as well."
Moments later, every battle-capable member of the Crystal Guild gathered before Asuna, standing in disciplined formation. Her face was solemn as she addressed them. "I'm about to do something that may not be right. So I need each of you to make a choice."
Kirito stepped forward. "There's no need to choose anymore. Your decision might not be right—but it's the one we've chosen to follow."
"Do you even know what I intend to do?" Asuna asked, scanning the group with a steady gaze.
"Ah, we've guessed. It's the only thing left for us to do now," Starlight said, adjusting his glasses on behalf of the group.
"Then there's no time to waste. Everyone, move out. I have only one order—protect yourselves. We'll be the enemies of the entire world from this point on." At Asuna's command, over a hundred blue silhouettes dispersed across the plains.
"Kurumi-chan, even if the world turns against you, not everyone has betrayed you. We're still here with you—you're not alone."
Deep within an ancient forest, a five-person team followed the friend coordinate trail, tracking Kurumi's movements.
Suddenly, a blue silhouette leapt down from a tree. The sword in her hand gleamed with skill light, and in an instant, she dashed through the group like a flash of lightning. Five players fell to critical health at once.
"W-wait! Don't kill me!" The team leader cried, shaking uncontrollably as the tip of a sword rested against his throat.
"Delete Kurumi Tokisaki and Futayo Honda from your friends list," Asuna ordered coldly, her golden eyes sharp. To think they had used friend tracking to hunt Kurumi-chan—could they be any more shameless?
"I'll delete them! I'll delete them right now!" The trembling leader reached out with shaking hands and removed Kurumi Tokisaki and Futayo Honda from his friend list.
"And the rest of you? Do you need me to personally persuade you?" Asuna's severe gaze swept across the remaining four players. Terrified, each of them hurriedly opened their menus and deleted the names.
"Don't get involved in this again. Next time, I won't show mercy." She sheathed her sword and vanished into the forest with a few swift leaps.
"Boss, should we keep chasing?"
"Chase? You can chase her yourself if you've got a death wish!"
Not long after, Asuna turned and said quietly, "Tora, you can come out now. You've been following me this whole time."
Moemoe Tora stepped out with a cold expression. "Because the vice president looked like she was going to 'punish' everyone, I got curious and followed. But in the end, you didn't really do anything. I'm a bit surprised."
"Making them delete Kurumi-chan and Futayo's names from their friend lists—that's the greatest punishment of all, isn't it?" Asuna asked rhetorically.
Moemoe Tora fell silent. "..."
"I see. Maybe that's the most painful punishment for you. But not everyone feels the same way. Why don't I teach you something else instead?" A glint of intrigue flashed in Moemoe Tora's eyes.
Soon after, another small squad fell to the ground. Moemoe Tora pinned the squad leader down with one hand, pressing his shoulder firmly while pointing at his chest with the other. "The ribs in front of the heart are an excellent target," she said calmly. "If you strike with just the right amount of force to break the rib before the heart, the fractured bone will press against the heart itself. At that point, he won't be able to breathe deeply, because every heartbeat will make the bone stab into the heart. Once that rib breaks, he'll experience excruciating, suffocating pain."
Thump! As she spoke, Moemoe Tora slapped her palm lightly against the squad leader's chest. His eyes rolled back white, and he fainted instantly. Of course, in the game, attacks couldn't reach the ribs—he had simply been scared unconscious.
"Pathetic," Moemoe Tora muttered, tossing the unconscious man aside. Then she grabbed another by the collar, pointing to his forehead as she explained to Asuna, "Between the forehead and the bridge of the nose lies a bone shaped like a butterfly. It's called the sphenoid bone—"
"Please don't! Let me go! I know your Crystal Guild is forcing people to delete friends—I'll do it! I'll delete them right now!" the man screamed before she could finish. In a panic, he opened his menu and deleted Kurumi and Futayo from his friend list. Then, pulling out a stun potion, he splashed it on himself and immediately collapsed, unconscious.
Moemoe Tora blinked. "..."
Then she muttered, "Actually, if you wanted to knock someone out quickly, I could've just kicked his temple. Instant blackout, complete brain reset..."
"Who's there?" Moemoe Tora suddenly snapped, turning sharply toward a nearby tree and raising her fists in a fighting stance.
"It's just me!" Kibaou said sheepishly as he stepped out, scratching his head. "I was going to say hi, but, uh, you scared me, Tora-nee. Didn't dare come out right away."
Moemoe Tora's expression didn't change. "...For the record, everything I said just now involves illegal strike zones in mixed martial arts. Hitting those spots in real life can only end one way—death or permanent injury."
Asuna chuckled softly. "Heh..."
Cold sweat ran down Kibaou's back. "Heh..."
"Oh, right, Vice President. I couldn't help but notice—you keep calling Kimi-nee 'Kurumi-chan.' What's that about?" Kibaou asked, clearly curious. That was the real reason he had come.
Asuna's face flushed slightly. She looked down for a moment, her tone soft but sincere, a mix of joy and quiet worry. "Well... actually, Kurumi-chan and I are... together."
Moemoe Tora's mouth fell wide open. Kibaou's pupils constricted sharply in shock.
High above, still invisible, Kayaba Akihiko remarked, "That Kibaou just experienced a momentary urge to destroy everything."
Kurumi, in her crimson pleated skirt, fanned herself lightly with her folding fan. "We can't let them carry on like this. We're running out of time. Little Futayo has already gone three months without being found."
Kayaba shot her a sideways glance, pushing up his glasses. "Isn't it because you're afraid the game will collapse early and you won't be able to wrap things up properly?"
"Four-eyes, your talent for tempting fate is getting impressive. You've been talking back to me nonstop since earlier," Kurumi said, returning the glare. Her wine-red eyes locked on him like sharpened blades.
Kayaba instantly turned his head away, feigning an innocent, obedient expression.