Miracle Summoner

At this point, Rozen had eliminated one of the last three remaining players on the map, completely removing Death Gun from the competition.

This left only two participants in this year's Bullet of Bullets (BoB) tournament.

"He won..."

"As expected, he won..."

"It seems the champion this time is going to be him..."

"What a pity…"

Having witnessed the showdown between Rozen and XaXa, the entirety of GGO sighed and lamented, already convinced of Rozen's victory.

The title of champion of the third Bullet of Bullets tournament had been claimed by a player who had only joined GGO a week prior, leaving many feeling helpless about the result.

Of course, while some felt helpless, others were elated.

For instance, those who had bet on Rozen to win were now cheering in celebration.

The same could be said for the players in ALfheim Online (ALO).

To be precise, it was the players of Crimson Wing in ALO who were cheering.

"He won!"

"The guild leader won!"

"I knew he wouldn't lose!"

One by one, the players of Crimson Wing shouted in excitement and joy, restoring the liveliness of the tavern.

"Yeah!"

Even Kirito, Klein, and Agil let out loud cheers.

"That's great!"

Leafa, Lis, Silica, and Sachi hugged each other, crying tears of joy.

"Papa!"

Yui was equally overjoyed beyond measure.

"Gu!"

"Gu!"

"Pi!"

Saichou, Hanachou, and Pina flitted about in the air, practically overflowing with happiness.

"Phew..."

Asuna, too, finally relaxed, a smile forming on her face.

While Asuna had never doubted Rozen's abilities and believed that a mere remnant of a villain wouldn't be a threat to him, it was impossible not to feel a bit of worry.

Now that Rozen had emerged victorious, she could breathe a sigh of relief. Though the aftermath of the incident was still uncertain, at least she no longer had to worry about Rozen being threatened by Death Gun's mysterious killing method. That alone was enough to ease Asuna's mind.

For the moment, Rozen had become the focus of all VRMMO players, sparking endless discussion.

Everyone believed that the championship of this year's BoB tournament was firmly within Rozen's grasp.

Even though the tournament wasn't officially over and another sniper, Shinon, was still in the game, no one thought that Rozen would lose to her.

It wasn't just that Shinon had already lost to Rozen before. It was also because, in terms of performance, Rozen had eliminated a total of 15 players during the tournament, half of all participants, under his gun. With such overwhelming strength, who would think Shinon stood a chance?

However, these players didn't know one thing: Rozen had never been particularly interested in winning.

Staring at XaXa's corpse lying before him, Rozen didn't sheath his dagger. He left it planted in XaXa's body.

Naturally, he had no intention of picking up the revolver he had tossed aside.

The showdown with Death Gun was over, and Rozen would soon return to ALO.

Thus, Rozen had already planned to discard all equipment and items from this world after the event.

And so...

"Aren't you going to shoot?"

Rozen nonchalantly asked as if speaking to the air.

"If you pull the trigger now, I won't resist. You're free to kill me."

The light remark floated into the ears of the girl hiding behind an off-road bike.

"..."

The girl leaned against the vehicle, clutching her sniper rifle, Hecate II. After a long silence, she stepped out from behind the trike.

It was none other than Shinon.

With a complicated expression, Shinon looked at Rozen and then at the fallen XaXa. Her gaze became even more conflicted.

Clearly, Shinon had witnessed Rozen and XaXa's decisive battle.

Even if she hadn't seen every moment, she must have caught the critical parts.

"So, this is Death Gun?"

Shinon's tone was equally complicated.

Had it been before the warehouse explosion, Shinon would undoubtedly have glared at XaXa, the one who had captured her and set up such a trap, with deep hatred.

But now, having learned the truth about Death Gun's killings and experiencing what had happened in the warehouse, she no longer had the capacity to feel anything.

Still, she responded to Rozen's remark.

"I didn't come here to fight," Shinon said softly. "I only wanted to witness your battle with him. I have no interest in the championship anymore."

It couldn't be helped, could it?

Having realized that no amount of fighting could fulfill her wish, Shinon naturally had no reason to continue.

At this moment, she had only one thought.

To completely leave this world behind, to never touch a gun or a game again.

In other words, Shinon intended to abandon everything she had invested in this world.

Including the wish she had clung to all along.

"Maybe overcoming the past was never possible in the first place."

Shinon's voice carried a hint of despair.

"From now on, I'll live quietly. Finish my studies. Find a job. Live a simple life."

Hearing these words, one could imagine just how dark Shinon's inner world had become.

Rozen simply looked at Shinon.

Then…

"Sigh…"

With a helpless expression, Rozen scratched his cheek and muttered to himself.

"Well, since I met you in this world, I suppose this must be fate."

Rozen spoke casually before addressing Shinon directly.

"Are you free in the next couple of days?"

Shinon froze at the question.

"Wha…what?"

She couldn't comprehend what Rozen meant.

But Rozen's meaning was simple.

"Let's meet in real life."

With this, Rozen conveyed his intent.

In other words, Rozen was proposing an offline meeting with Shinon.

This was despite the fact they had only known each other for a few days and were technically adversaries.

"I…"

Shinon was completely unprepared for such a suggestion, standing there dumbfounded.

Seeing this, Rozen didn't press her, merely speaking to himself.

"I'll probably be busy tomorrow. The day after, I'll wait for you at a café near the commercial street in central Tokyo."

As he spoke, Rozen glanced at Shinon.

"If you want to resolve your problems, then come."

"But I won't wait forever. If you don't show up by evening, I'll leave."

"Think it over."

Leaving those words behind, Rozen issued a command to the system.

"I forfeit!"

With this action, the artificial system announcement echoed above the deserted island a second later.

"The third Bullet of Bullets tournament has now concluded."

"Champion — Shinon!"

Hearing the announcement, Shinon finally came back to her senses.

However, by then, Rozen had already logged out, vanishing from the island.

Shinon could only stare blankly, unable to react for a long time.

Meanwhile, all VRMMO players, including those in GGO, were stunned into silence before exploding into uproar.

The results were completely unexpected.

What followed was bound to be a lively spectacle.

Unfortunately, none of this concerned Rozen anymore.

Because he had another matter to attend to.