-1673- The closing malice

At the top of the World Tree.

In the golden birdcage hanging from the branches, Yui, who had been calling for Rozen, opened her eyes.

"How... how is it? Yui!"

Upon seeing this, Asuna quickly asked, her voice filled with urgency and anxiety.

Yui spoke up, unable to hide her worry.

"Papa has entered the giant egg at the root of the World Tree. To reach here, he's fighting countless Guardian Knights."

As she tracked Rozen's location ID and absorbed real-time information, Yui reported to Asuna.

"Papa is amazing. He's battling so many enemies, and his character data is changing rapidly, almost reaching the system's maximum limits. Although the monster he's fighting are vast, they're being reduced at an astonishing speed. Unfortunately, each time one falls, a new monster appears. Papa must be facing endless enemies, fighting with all his strength."

Yui relayed all the information she could gather to Asuna, but there was a hint of anxiety in her voice.

"Rozen..."

Asuna could only gaze down from the top of the World Tree, hoping to see the figure fighting with all his might amidst an army below, her heart filled with sorrow.

Even though Asuna had been forcibly transferred to this world from SAO and had spent two months here, knowing little about this world, Yui had provided her with enough information to understand just how difficult it was to conquer the World Tree and reach its summit.

No, "difficult" wasn't even the right word; it was impossible to complete.

No matter how strong a player is, facing endless enemies can only end in defeat.

Besides…

"Papa seems to have already reached the gate, but its program code wasn't triggered. It seems that it requires administrator privileges to open; players simply can't open it or reach here."

As Yui said this, her voice was on the verge of tears.

"How can it be...!?"

Asuna didn't want to believe it either, covering her mouth and swallowing a sob.

After a moment, Asuna shook her head, pushing down her anxiety and weakness, and strengthened her resolve again.

"Even so, he'll definitely overcome this challenge. I believe in him."

With these words, Asuna steeled her heart.

"Mama…" Yui, watching Asuna, took a deep breath and likewise resolved herself. "Yes, Papa will definitely do it."

"Gu!"

"Gu!"

Saichou and Hanachou cried out in agreement.

Even though reason told them that this was absolutely impossible, they chose to believe in Rozen—the man who had once filled her hopeless lives with energy and hope, saving her from despair.

She believed that the man who had once saved her would once again appear before her. The girl held onto this future in her hearts.

But malice always arrives faster than miracles.

"Heh heh… heh heh… ha ha ha ha…!"

With a laugh filled with sticky malice, a voice, sounding almost ecstatic, echoed through the space.

"I never expected this. Truly unexpected. That man actually dared to enter this world. It seems the gods are on my side!"

These words reached the ears of Asuna and Yui, and their faces changed completely.

"Clang!"

In the next moment, a figure appeared in the golden birdcage.

Who else could it be but Sugo Nobuyuki?

"Sugo…!"

"Mm…!"

Asuna immediately reacted, stepping forward and instinctively shielding Yui behind her, making Yui let out a timid sound.

"Gu!"

"Gu!"

Saichou and Hanachou, on the other hand, positioned themselves in front of Asuna, glaring at Sugo Nobuyuki, as if protecting the two girls, their calls full of hostility.

Sugo Nobuyuki glanced at Saichou and Hanachou, then at Yui hiding behind Asuna, his mouth twisting into a grin.

"No wonder the programming department said there's something unusual running in your character file. So this is it?"

It seemed Sugo Nobuyuki had indeed put some effort into studying Asuna's immortal object attribute.

Yui, Saichou, and Hanachou had finally been discovered by this man, causing Asuna to shiver instinctively.

Asuna forced down her shivers and fixed Sugo Nobuyuki with a sharp gaze.

"Do you think you can still do whatever you please, Sugo?" Asuna said coldly. "Since you're here, you must realize that man is coming, and your plot will soon be unraveled!"

Asuna used these words to try to suppress the fear that Sugo Nobuyuki instilled in her.

But this only made Sugo Nobuyuki laugh even harder.

He laughed with both joy and malevolence.

"My plot unraveled? By him?" Sugo Nobuyuki, looking almost maniacal, yelled up at the sky. "This world is mine! All of this is mine! Here, in this world, I am God!"

Possessing the highest administrator privileges in ALfheim Online, Sugo Nobuyuki was utterly elated.

"That little punk dared to humiliate me in the real world. I almost lost everything that was rightfully mine, and I couldn't even get into your hospital room. Everyone looked down on me. No matter how much I offered, the hospital wouldn't let me in. And all this because of an orphan that no one wanted—a little nobody who only shines in virtual worlds. Everyone listened to him, did what he said. How utterly ridiculous!"

As he spoke, Sugo Nobuyuki grinned maliciously.

"But now, that loathsome brat is in this world, the world I control. That means it's my responsibility to show him who's the true ruler, who's the real god!"

The thought of what was about to happen filled Sugo Nobuyuki with unbridled joy.

In the real world, Sugo Nobuyuki truly couldn't do anything to Rozen. He had lost Yuuki Shouzou's support, and even the government sided with Rozen. Sugo Nobuyuki had experienced true helplessness, along with boundless hatred and resentment.

But now that Rozen had entered this virtual world, where Sugo Nobuyuki wielded the highest-level administrator privileges, wasn't dealing with a mere player as easy as snapping his fingers?

Sugo Nobuyuki had already planned to torment Rozen mercilessly, making him kneel and beg for mercy with tears in his eyes.

But before that…

"Since that brat made it here, he might know something. I'll hide you all away, transfer the 300 players to another place, and come back to deal with you after I'm done with him."

Sugo Nobuyuki directed an infuriatingly smug smile at Asuna.

"Mama…!"

Yui immediately clung to Asuna in fear.

"Don't worry, Yui." Asuna comforted her. "He can't hurt us."

With the invincibility attribute protecting her, Sugo Nobuyuki couldn't directly interfere with Asuna.

However…

"If you obediently come with me now, I might be merciful to that brat later. But if you don't cooperate, you know what will happen."

Sugo Nobuyuki laughed openly, completely shameless.

Asuna bit her lip hard, fighting to keep her composure.