I Love You

The boss of Floor 10 descended right into our midst.

[WARNING!!! FLOOR 10 BOSS HAS APPEARED!!!]
[E.N.D. – Eternal Nihility Dominator]
[FLOOR 10 BOSS]
[LEVEL ???]

Finally… the last boss of the Abyss Code Online dungeon revealed itself.

It looked like the apocalypse given form. A towering humanoid wrapped in a cloak of writhing shadows, stitched with threads of crimson light. Its face was hidden behind a fractured porcelain mask that leaked black ichor, only its burning void-like eyes visible beneath. Its body was a grotesque fusion of flesh and machine—jagged cybernetic limbs plated in obsidian steel, veins of molten red energy pulsing like a cursed heart.

Two colossal wings spread wide: one skeletal, feathered with ashen decay; the other mechanical, thrumming with unstable energy cores. Its chest bore an abyssal void that devoured all light, whispering with the voices of countless souls it had consumed.

“Th-this is… the last boss of the game?!” Ayane’s voice trembled.

I held her hand firmly, calming her. “Stay focused. We’ll get through this.”

Then I shouted to the raid, commanding them to brace for battle.

But before we could form up, E.N.D. raised one clawed hand. Five magic circles ignited in the air. Each circle summoned a boss from the earlier floors—Floor 1 through Floor 5. Yet all of them now radiated power at Level 10.

Theron. Helion. Necroval. Azravil. Grideon.

The bosses we had once defeated now roared back to life, controlled like puppets under E.N.D.’s dominion. They charged at us with terrifying ferocity.

“Buffs! Now!” I called.

Ayaka responded instantly. With her sacred talisman, she invoked a divine aura that enhanced everyone’s physical and magical defenses, while raising their offensive might. Beside her, Mikan unleashed her newly ascended SystemCore Patchern, layering our raid with regenerating HP, ST, CT, and CP. The support synergy was immaculate.

Zack, laughing madly, swallowed the Malevolent Berserker Stone I had entrusted to him. His body warped with monstrous strength, his SystemCore spawning massive spectral weapons in every direction. He became one of our main DPS anchors, striking fear even into the summoned bosses.

Kurogane joined him, forging devastating mid-range artillery, while Tsukihana led the casters in synchronized EtherCode bombardments.

Ayane and I became the vanguard—charging into melee together, blades ignited with burning resolve. With her new title as a Level 10 Player, she unlocked [Gamer], granting her the resilience to stand toe-to-toe with nightmare-class enemies.

She gripped my hand, her eyes unwavering.
“We’ll win this, and we’ll return to Earth… together.” She smiled.

I nodded. “I promise.”

We surged forward, cutting through chaos. Within minutes, Theron, Helion, and Azravil fell under our combined assault.

But Grideon was different. His agility surpassed reason, evading every strike I unleashed.

Then I remembered his parting words… and the gift he’d left me: [Vision of Truth].

Sliding the spectral goggles over my eyes, I activated it. Suddenly, I saw crimson threads binding Grideon and Necroval—puppet strings of E.N.D.’s control.

“This… this is it.”

I slashed the threads with Ether Slayer.

E.N.D. screamed, a roar that cracked the air. Grideon and Necroval staggered—then their eyes cleared. They were free.

Necroval reverted to his true form: Val. He rushed to me, embracing me tightly. “Finally… we meet again.”

“I’m glad too, Val. Fight with us!”

Grideon laughed maniacally, thrilled beyond reason. “Hah! As I predicted! Now it begins!”

Confused, I demanded answers. He simply grinned and raised his hand, weaving a vast matrix circle that pierced dimensions.

From its light stepped a figure… a woman we all knew.

Mayor Lorelei Netherbyte.

Everyone froze in shock. Zack, normally loud and reckless, fell silent.

But Lorelei’s usual playful aura was gone. She shed her cloak, revealing her true android body, her frame glowing with deadly armaments.

“What is the meaning of this, Grideon?!” I demanded.

He sneered. “You really didn’t know? Lorelei was the Floor 9 Boss who rebelled and escaped the Abyss Dungeon. She built Netherbyte as her refuge.”

I turned to her. “So that’s why you always avoided my attempts to raid Floor 9… isn’t it, Lorelei?”

“Ara-ara… caught red-handed. Yes, it’s true. You could never have cleared this game without the Ninth Boss.” Her voice hardened. “But now… things are different. This is Floor 10. The end. Together, we’ll finish this!”

She raised her arm, unleashing a storm of nuclear data-missiles that blanketed the sky.

The raid roared with renewed spirit, hurling themselves against E.N.D.

Val, Grideon, and Lorelei stood beside us now—our unexpected allies. But just as I prepared to attack E.N.D. myself, Lorelei stopped me.

“Kyouze… E.N.D. is not your enemy.” Her voice was sharp.

“What do you mean?!”

“You can’t destroy E.N.D. until GOD 404 is defeated.”

“Then where—?!”

Lorelei pointed upward. Beyond the bleeding sky. Beyond the collapsing heavens. To the abyssal entity consuming Earth itself.

“There.”

My blood ran cold.

Ayane grasped my hand, her gaze steady. “Go, Kyouya. We’ll hold E.N.D. here. Trust us.”

“Ayane… I—”

“You promised we’d go home. You’ll come back alive. I believe in you.” She smiled through tears.

I pulled her close, embracing her one last time. Then I turned to Grideon. “Send me there.”

He activated his matrix, a transfer circle opening beneath me.

The raid shouted encouragement—Mikan, Zack, Ayaka, every Player and NPC. Even Lorelei smirked. “Ara-ara… you usually call me a crazy woman. Guess this is special. Don’t disappoint me, Yoka’s reincarnation.”

“Yoka…?” The name echoed in my mind. I didn’t understand yet—but I would. After I crushed GOD 404.

As the light consumed me, Ayane raised her hand and mouthed words I could not hear. But I knew.

“I love you, Kyouya.”

I reached out, but the transfer completed.

Darkness swallowed me.

I awoke in a vast chamber, its walls alive with screams and hatred. At its center stood a man with crimson eyes—the same eyes that had glared from Tokyo’s sky.

“Welcome… to the true end of this game, Mikazuki Kyouya.” His voice was venom.

“GOD 404…” I raised Ether Slayer, pointing it at him. “This is where you fall!”

The final battle begins.