They stepped through the gate, and the world blinked red.
Stone columns rose from endless blood-tinted mist. A long, circular arena stretched before them, resembling a ruined courtroom—part Greek amphitheater, part stage, part altar. Above, the sky was an inverted vortex: a screaming spiral of karmic numbers and fractured memories. At the center sat a throne of bone and steel, empty and waiting.
Ayato's throat tightened. 'This place is alive. It's judging us.'
Mio walked beside him, eyes wide. "It's like a nightmare," she muttered. "Like the Tower's guts."
Ren flexed his fingers, jaw set. "Whatever. Let's just get this over with."
Yui hesitated, arms wrapped around herself. "I don't want to be here."
A system notification blazed in the air.
[Floor 11: Crimson Judgment]
"All sins return. One must fall."
– A Judgment Trial will be held
– All evidence from past floors will be reviewed
– The accused will be chosen by majority vote
– If no consensus is reached, the Tower chooses
– Karma penalties are irreversible
The floor beneath them lit with glowing crimson runes, forming a circle of truth. Ayato, Mio, Ren, and Yui stood at four cardinal points. The fifth point—opposite Ayato—glowed. Kazuki stood there, smiling like a fox who'd just caught a rabbit.
"Welcome to the show," Kazuki said, arms outstretched. "I've been looking forward to this."
Ayato's fingers twitched. 'He's loving this. He wants us to break.'
The trial began.
A massive glyph appeared above them, showing projections of everything that had happened so far: Ren's violent choices on Floor 2, Mio's secrets about past cycles, Yui's false innocence, Ayato's rewriting of memories, Kazuki's corruption and manipulation.
"This is your reckoning," Kazuki said, voice dripping with mock sympathy. "You've all lied, killed, betrayed, hidden things from one another. Let's see how righteous your little Observer really is."
Ayato remained silent, jaw clenched. 'I've made mistakes. I've done things I regret. But I won't let him win.'
"Let's play, then," Ayato said, voice steady. "Call the witnesses."
The floor conjured spectral shadows—reflections of fallen students, each speaking a line:
Daichi: "Ayato knew I would snap. He let me."
Kenta: "The Tower made me a monster, but no one tried to save me."
Riku: "I just wanted answers. He gave me silence."
Each one stared directly at Ayato before vanishing. Mio took a half-step closer to him, her fingers brushing his sleeve. 'I'm not alone. She's still here.'
A system glyph appeared between them.
"Vote now: Who bears the greatest karmic sin?"
Ren's hand shook. "I'm not proud, but I did what I had to."
Yui whispered, voice cracking, "It's him. It's always been him."
Mio stayed silent, eyes locked on Ayato, then Kazuki.
Ayato didn't move. 'I can't vote for myself. I can't vote for them. I have to vote for Kazuki.'
Kazuki smirked. "This is going to be fun."
The votes were cast:
Yui → Ayato
Ren → Kazuki
Ayato → Kazuki
Kazuki → Ayato
Mio → Abstain
[Tie: 2 – 2. No consensus reached.]
A blinding red sigil descended on Ayato.
[System Override Engaged: Tower Will Decide]
Analyzing karmic profiles… evaluating narrative deviation… assessing structural risk…
Ayato's heart pounded. 'What now? What's it going to do?'
A voice boomed from the sky:
"Judgment: GUILTY.
Penalty: Memory Execution
You will forget one person permanently."
Ayato's eyes widened. "No—"
His mind twisted. Names blurred. Faces flickered in and out of focus. He clutched his head, gritting his teeth as a sharp pain lanced through his skull.
"One memory lost."
And then—
He looked around.
Three people stood around him.
Ren. Mio. Kazuki.
Where was…?
He clutched his head again. 'Who's missing? Who am I forgetting?'
He tried to say the name, but it wouldn't come. "Wait—wait—there was someone else—Yui—?"
But the name didn't exist anymore.
[Player Ayato: Memory Severed – Yui Asano]
Yui still exists. But Ayato will never remember her. Not her name. Not her voice. Not her face.
He blinked. "What just…?"
Mio looked like she was about to cry. Ren stared in horror. Kazuki simply grinned.
"See? You can't save them all."
Ayato's chest ached. 'Something's wrong. Something's missing. But I don't know what.'
The throne lit with bloodfire.
A massive humanoid stepped out—no face, no mouth, only eyes—thousands of them. Its voice came from everywhere:
"The sentence has been passed. All must bleed."
[Boss Encounter Initiated: Crimson Warden – Tower Manifestation of Absolute Karma]
Ren charged in with raw fury, using karma to amplify his strikes. "I'm sick of this place! I'm sick of you!"
Mio chanted runes of memory burn, aiming for the Warden's "eye clusters." "Stay focused! Don't let it get inside your head!"
Kazuki stood back, watching, arms crossed. "Go on. Show me what you've got."
Ayato unleashed his Divine Script: Rewrite Vow, shaping karma threads into whip-like tendrils. 'I have to fight. I have to protect them. Even if I don't know who I'm missing.'
The Warden countered with Truth Chains—binding each player to one hidden sin.
Ayato was chained by "False Hope."
Ren by "Bloodthirst."
Mio by "Curiosity."
Kazuki smiled as the chain reached him—then it snapped.
"I am the sin," he said, stepping into the Warden's blind spot. "Let me show you how far a Proxy can fall."
With a scream of psychic energy, the Warden was weakened—but not dead.
Ayato saw the opening. He took it.
"Karma Rewrite: One chain transferred."
He gave his chain to Kazuki—a risky move that overloaded Kazuki's aura.
"You—!" Kazuki snarled, eyes wide with shock.
"Take my sin if you want to judge me," Ayato said, voice low.
The Warden pierced Kazuki's chest with a karmic blade. The Proxy howled, then vanished in smoke.
[Floor 11: Crimson Judgment – Cleared]
Boss defeated. Proxy destabilized. Memory cost logged.
*Next Floor: The Spiral Throne (Floor 12 – Start of Arc 3)
Ayato fell to his knees, chest heaving. Ren slumped to the side, breathing hard. Mio walked toward Ayato—paused—and whispered:
"You don't remember her, do you?"
"…who?"
She didn't answer. Only whispered:
"Act One is over."
(Chapter 18 End)