-1636- [ Immortal Object ]

———— "Rozen."

That name was far from unfamiliar to Asuna.

Because, in her heart, Asuna had repeated that name hundreds and thousands of times, engraving it deeply, indelibly, into her soul—never to be forgotten.

It was not just a precious treasure, but a miracle that kept Asuna from despair, giving her hope that she might one day leave this place.

In this world, trapped in such a cage, Asuna had chanted that name in her heart countless times, imagining the smile of that boy over and over.

And so...

"What did you say...?"

Finally, Asuna couldn't help but turn her head, staring fiercely at Sugou Nobuyuki.

"You said you saw who...?"

Asuna didn't realize that her voice was trembling.

Watching Asuna's reaction, Sugou felt both pleased and jealous.

This woman, who had always been indifferent to him, now showed such a strong response over another man's name—how could Sugou not be jealous?

But precisely because of that, Sugou also felt pleasure.

The more Asuna cared, the more Sugou could torment her with words, pushing her toward collapse.

"In reality, he's not called Rozen. He was adopted by a normal family as an orphan, and his name is Kirigaya Aoka," Sugou said smugly. "The CEO and I saw him in your hospital room. I heard that to see you, he had to ask the SAO emergency response team for help, appearing by your side in the real world."

At this, Sugou showed a sinister grin.

"Do you know what kind of expression he had when he saw me?" Sugou continued, clearly enjoying himself. "I told him I'm your fiancé, that your family had agreed to marry you to me. Next month, we'll hold the wedding in the hospital room, and by then, you'll be mine."

Asuna's entire body trembled at those words.

Then, as if suppressing a surge of emotions, she lowered her head, biting her lip, making it impossible to see her expression.

Watching this, Sugou felt an adrenaline rush.

Yes, this is it.

This is exactly what Sugou wanted to see from Asuna.

Whether it was regret, frustration, sadness, or despair, it was all something Sugou longed to witness.

This would stimulate Sugou's twisted desires, feeding his distorted personality.

As Sugou had said, from a young age, Asuna had always shown nothing but cold indifference toward him, even outright disgust. No matter how polite or accomplished Sugou appeared, Asuna had no interest, barely sparing him a glance.

For that reason, Sugou harbored a nearly obsessive and twisted fixation on Asuna.

As long as he could manipulate Asuna, it would bring him satisfaction and joy.

"At that moment, the expression on his face—just thinking about it feels amazing."

Sugou seemed to relish the memory, continuing to talk.

"I said you were my fiancée. He didn't want to believe it, even tried to argue, but with the CEO there to back me up, he was left standing there, stunned, his face full of despair."

"I told him I'd invite him to the wedding, let him see you in your bridal gown. And then he hugged my leg, crying and begging me to let you go, to return you to him."

"But I couldn't help it, so I had to tell him the truth—you're just an orphan, a nobody. He couldn't even afford your medical treatment. No matter how strong he was in the game, in reality, he's just a normal person. We're from different worlds, so I asked him to recognize reality."

"After hearing that, he cried even harder, and then he tried to take your body away. But it didn't work; the CEO was furious and had him thrown into prison."

"Later, I went to visit him. I heard that he completely broke down inside, unable to cope with life in prison."

"So, he knelt and begged me. He asked me to get him out of there, and if I did, he promised never to see you again, never to chase that dream again."

"Since he was so sincere, I bailed him out, and after that, he disappeared. He didn't even dare to see you."

Sugou laughed heartily.

"In other words, he already gave up on you for his own sake. To him, you mean nothing, absolutely nothing!"

Sugou laughed uncontrollably, his whole body trembling with amusement.

Meanwhile, Asuna, still bowing her head, was also trembling.

And this sight gave Sugou immense satisfaction—extreme satisfaction.

Yet Sugou had no idea that Asuna was trembling because she was laughing as well.

"Hearing you say that, I'm relieved."

Asuna lifted her head, her expression now completely relaxed.

"Ha?"

Sugou immediately fell silent, like a rooster being choked, his laugh cut short by a stupid squawk.

Then, with confusion, Sugou spoke.

"Did you not hear what I said? I said that man has already given up..."

Sugou's words were interrupted halfway by Asuna.

"He would never give up on me."

Asuna's voice was firm, silencing Sugou.

Then Asuna began to reminisce.

"If he was going to give up on me, he could have done so two years ago, on the first floor of Aincrad."

At that time, Asuna, traumatized by the death game, had fallen into a state of despair, recklessly seeking death after fighting with all her might, without a second thought.

It was Rozen who pulled her out of that state, helping her regain her clarity.

"When I was ready to give up on myself, he saved me."

"When I was fighting for relief, he taught me to enjoy everything in that world."

"When no one, not even myself, believed we could clear the game, and when everyone was fighting desperately to leave that death game, he alone accepted that world, accepted all realities, accepted every unfairness. He stood at the front, leading us to victory."

"As long as he was there, there would be zero casualties."

"As long as he was there, the players still had hope."

"And even though he was lazy, even though he was eccentric, whenever others needed him, he would always step up, turning defeat into victory, crushing our despair, and granting us miracles of salvation again and again."

"A man like him—how could he ever give up on me? How could he ever break down and cry in front of someone who can't even cage him, when not even that death game could contain him?"

Asuna's eyes filled with scorn as she stared at Sugou.

"I think you must have suffered a defeat at his hands, so you came here to slander him, hoping I would lose faith in him and give up on myself, right?"

"But you underestimate me and overestimate yourself."

"You think he'd ever kneel and beg in front of you?"

"You're not even worthy!"

"I suggest you give up now."

"Otherwise, that man will destroy everything about you, crush your schemes, and leave you with nothing!"

Asuna's voice was powerful as she declared this.

"You...!"

Sugou, humiliated, flew into a rage, raising his hand to grab at Asuna.

At that moment...

"Boom!"

A flash of light appeared before Asuna, sending a shockwave that flung Sugou away.

"Guh...!"

Sugou crashed into the railing with a grunt.

And in front of Asuna, a barrier appeared out of nowhere.

On the barrier, there was a system message.

————「Immortal Object」

This was an attribute no player could possess, something only an account with administrative privileges could set, providing absolute protection over its target.

Because of this, Sugou couldn't touch Asuna.

This was also the only thing Asuna relied on to protect herself.