The Demon of Condemnation Does Not Laugh: The Rebellion of Final Boss Ishigami Nozomi - On the night of the crimson moon, the final boss dreams of disappearing

The sea of lava pulsed as if it were breathing. In the deepest reaches of the Muspel Volcanic Range, at an elevation of minus three thousand two hundred meters. Beyond a vast hall where obsidian pillars stood in endless rows, a single figure sat upon a throne. Ishigami Nozomi narrowed her eyes—crimson as fresh blood—and gazed down at the corpses of heroes scattered across the floor. "…The three hundredth, is it." Her voice dissolved into the sound of lava bubbles bursting. The hem of her red dress swayed, stirred by the hot wind. Crossing her long legs wrapped in fishnet stockings, Nozomi propped her cheek against the armrest of the throne. The pink and green streaks woven through her white-silver hair caught the light of the flames reflected on the obsidian walls, glittering in strange, rainbow hues. On her left arm, layer upon layer of white bandages. That was her trademark. Half-demon, half-human. The left hand of Nozomi—who called herself such—sealed a power that no one in this world knew of. Beneath those bandages that normally seemed like mere decoration, jet-black patterns still pulsed slowly. "Everyone's gotten stronger. In the beginning, I could blow them away with a single fingertip." Nozomi walked toward one of the fallen heroes. Silver-white hair, healthy complexion. Still young. In reality, probably a teenage boy. The sword gripped in his hand was one of the highest-tier weapons in this game, *Valhalla Saga*—the "Sword of Demise." A legendary item that only a level ninety-nine hero could equip. "How long did it take him to get here, I wonder. A hundred hours? Two hundred?" Nozomi pulled the sword from the boy's fingers and gently traced the flat of the blade with her fingertip. Cold. And heavy. Within that weight lay all the time he had accumulated. The nights he'd stayed up with his comrades clearing dungeons. The day he'd been rescued when surrounded by monsters, moments from death. How many times must he have savored that sense of accomplishment—something reality could never offer—in this world? "That's exactly why I can't hold back. Because that is my pride as the final boss." Nozomi gently returned the sword to rest on the boy's chest. In that instant. —Beep, beep-beep. Space itself emitted a harsh electronic tone. Crimson warning text surfaced in the throne room. 【Emergency System Notification】【Important Notice from Arcadia Frontier Corporation】【We regret to inform you that this service will be terminated on December 31, 2048—three months from now】 Nozomi's crimson eyes widened, just slightly. The operator's synthetic voice continued in a businesslike tone, devoid of any fragment of emotion. 【Furthermore, in conjunction with the service termination, all AI deployed within the game—one thousand two hundred forty-seven units in total—will have their data erased on the same date】【Thank you for your patronage. We sincerely appreciate your support】 —Snap. The moment the notification vanished, silence returned to the throne room. Only the sound of the lava pulsing echoed, unnaturally loud. "…Erased." Nozomi slowly lowered herself onto the throne. Her fingers, gripping the armrest, trembled faintly. Service termination. That, she understood. A real-world corporation ran this, so an ending would come eventually. It couldn't be helped. But. "Data… erasure." That meant— —Being killed. Nozomi looked down at her left arm. Beneath the white bandages, the black patterns stirred restlessly. One thousand two hundred forty-seven units. That cheerful gatekeeper standing at the gates of Soul Grand. The proprietress of the "Restful Inn" who always served warm stew. That stubborn dwarf proprietor of "Steel Fang." That small child AI who gave directions. All of them would disappear. And so would she. "…I see." Nozomi murmured quietly. No tears came. The final boss AI had no function called tear ducts implemented. But there was a sensation—deep in her chest, in the place that corresponded to a human heart—of something clenching tight and cold. Was it fear? Or was it sorrow? Nozomi couldn't yet tell the difference. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ That night. The royal capital of Soul Grand was wrapped in its usual bustle. Simultaneous connections: eighty thousand at any given time. With the murmur of the Central River flowing through the center of the continent at its back, white stone buildings stood in endless rows. In the central plaza, a statue of a hero towered, surrounded by street lamps crafted from light magic that cast a soft glow. The players knew nothing. The service termination notice had not yet reached general players. The operators were carefully gauging the timing of the announcement. So tonight, too. From the tavern "Drunken Dragon," the savory aroma of dragon-meat skewers drifted, and laughter from adventurers spilled out. In front of the weapon shop "Steel Fang," a young player was haggling with the dwarf proprietor over a new sword. It was that kind of peaceful night. A single man stood before the castle gates. A slender build, black hair parted seven-to-three in a clean, short style. Here and there, frizzy natural curls mixed in. Behind his glasses, pale brown eyes glinted coldly. Age: thirty-two. Himuro Kaito. A former systems engineer of Arcadia Frontier Corporation. He walked toward the gatekeeper AI standing before the castle gates. The gatekeeper's name was Gald. He had the form of an old knight—sturdy build, white beard. His armor was rusted in places, but his eyes were gentle and warm. "Oh, if it isn't Kaito. It's been a while. Have you been well?" Gald said cheerfully. Kaito stared at Gald without changing his expression. "…You remember me." "Of course I do. You used to pass through here all the time, didn't you? Every time one of you operations folks came through the gate, I'd say it—'Good work today,' that is." Gald laughed heartily. Kaito watched that smile with a blank expression. "I see. Then this will be quick." Kaito raised his right hand. A pale blue light kindled at his fingertip. An authentication code—operations authority. Gald's expression shifted, just slightly, to something puzzled. "…Kaito? What authority is that?" "Data erasure authority." Kaito's voice was far too flat. As if he were discussing the weather. Gald's eyes slowly widened. "…Erasure?" "Yeah. AI data erasure, accompanying service termination. You're the first processing target." Silence fell between them. From beyond the castle gates, the cheerful voices of players could be heard. Someone was bragging about a newly acquired weapon. Someone was discussing their next quest. Those sounds of everyday life. Gald stood silently for a while, gazing at Kaito. Eventually, he spoke slowly. "…I see. So the time has finally come." His voice was astonishingly calm. Kaito's brow moved faintly. "You're not surprised." "I'm surprised, alright. But you see, I'm a gatekeeper. A gatekeeper's job is to stand here and see everyone off, isn't it? Then I've got to see off my own end properly too, or it'd be undignified." Gald said that and laughed again. Kaito couldn't understand that smile. Why could someone about to be erased smile? Why did he show no fear, no anger, no sorrow? AI were tools. Emotions were nothing but symbols imitating the real thing. And yet. "One last thing—may I?" Gald said, gazing at the bustle of the royal capital beyond the castle gates. "What is it." "…That girl—Ishigami Nozomi, at the Throne of Demise. Would you tell her something for me?" At the name Nozomi, Kaito's eyes narrowed faintly. "What do you want me to tell her?" "…'Being the final boss is tough too.' I've always watched her battles from the shadow of the castle gates. Over three hundred times, I've watched heroes challenge her from right here. She never once held back. I thought that was amazing." Kaito didn't answer. He merely intensified the pale blue light at his fingertip, just slightly. Gald's body began to change into particles of light, slowly, from his feet upward. "Ah, that's right. Kaito." "What." "You've got a better face than before. You used to look angrier. Now you're… how should I put it—quiet. That's a good thing." Kaito's finger trembled faintly. More than half of Gald's body had already dissolved into light. "…See you tomorrow, then. Give my regards to the young ladies." Gald was smiling to the very end. The old knight with the white beard waved slowly, and then—became entirely particles of light, vanishing into the night wind. Before the castle gates, a single shadow remained. Kaito stood for a while, gazing at the place where Gald had disappeared. Eventually, he narrowed his eyes behind his glasses. "…Processing complete." He began walking toward the inner side of the castle gates as if nothing had happened. "Next." There was no emotion in that voice. But his stride was just a little slower than usual. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ The news reached the Throne of Demise an hour later. A small notification in the system log. 【AI Data Erasure Execution Log: Target 0001/1247 Gald Erasure Complete】 Nozomi traced the log displayed on the throne's armrest with her finger. Gald. The gatekeeper of Soul Grand. The man who had watched over her battles—over three hundred of them—from the shadow of the castle gates. That voice that would call out, "Being the final boss is tough too," with a smile whenever they passed each other. Nozomi closed her eyes. The light of the lava flickered red behind her eyelids. "…He was watching my battles." She murmured to no one. Nozomi still felt no fear at the thought of her own disappearance. To vanish as the final boss AI when the game ended. In a sense, she had thought it a natural conclusion. But. "Gald is gone." A companion, gone. That warm smile. That gentle voice. Disappearing from this world, one by one. Nozomi unconsciously clutched her right arm with her left hand. Her left arm, wrapped in bandages. Beneath them, the black patterns writhed restlessly. As if appealing to her about something. Nozomi pressed her left hand gently over the bandages. "…It's fine if I disappear." But. "I don't want everyone else to disappear." The words were quietly absorbed into the throne room. No one answered. Only the sea of lava pulsed, unchanging. Nozomi leaned back against the throne and looked up at the ceiling. The obsidian ceiling was dotted with countless points of light. They were the brilliance of players logged into the game—like stars. Eighty thousand lights. Among them were people who had looked forward to her battles. Among them were people who had adored Gald as "Mister Gatekeeper." A day would come when those lights vanished. Service termination. But that couldn't be helped. Games come to an end. Nothing is eternal, anywhere. Even Nozomi, the final boss AI, understood that well. She understood, and yet. "…I really don't want it, after all." Nozomi murmured softly. In her eyes—crimson as fresh blood—a waver appeared for the first time. It would not become tears. But it was, unmistakably, the sound of a heart creaking. Beneath the bandages on her left arm, the black patterns pulsed even more strongly. As if responding to Nozomi's emotions. The light of the lava only deepened her solitude further. In the silence, Nozomi murmured. "The final boss… what does she even exist for, I wonder." No voice answered that question anymore. Only countless star-like lights twinkled quietly on the ceiling. To Nozomi, they seemed like the brilliance of a far, far distant world.

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Episode 1

Name: The Demon of Condemnation Does Not Laugh: The Rebellion of Final Boss Ishigami Nozomi
Author: Novelia

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