A blood-red sky. A scene of the apocalypse.
The once-thriving city had long since crumbled into ruin — rubble as far as the eye could see, corpses blanketing every road.
A pink-haired girl moved through it all wearing nothing but a wide, tattered black robe. An unnamed wind drifted in from the void behind her, catching the fabric and lifting it in slow ripples, revealing fleeting glimpses of snow-white skin beneath.
She walked barefoot over a path thick with thorns. The camera dropped to her feet — small and pristine as lotus blossoms, five delicate toes tipped with pearlescent nails, shy and proud all at once.
Those feet crossed scorched, fire-blackened ground without raising a single speck of ash.
She walked on. Past mounds of bare bones. Past nameless graves and crumbling headstones. Across a crumbling bridge that swayed against the sky. All around her, a city utterly devoid of life — the smell of blood and burning ash rolling in on every breath — and still she pressed forward without a flicker of hesitation, her voice rising high and clear, her song echoing between broken walls and shattered rubble.
"♪ Every life that can hear this song ♪~"
A close-up. In the girl's deep-crimson eyes — red as tempered blood — a light suddenly bloomed. The shot cut wide: a vast, open sky. The girl stood alone at the top of a ruined high-rise, arms spread, her pink hair streaming behind her like petals caught on the wind, as she gave voice to the final verse with everything she had.
"♪ After you have crossed that night of sorrow ♪~"
"♪ You will surely find a strength that transcends life itself ♪~"
Her voice soared under a burning sky, carried on a driving beat — every note transmitting the desolation of that dying world and the unbroken will of the girl within it.
——The Everlasting Guilty Crown
——Performed by: EGOIST
——Lyrics & Composition: Yuzuriha Inori (G)
"Ahhh~~~"
The moment those three lines of Gothic-lettered credits faded in at the end of the video, Inori Yuzuriha let out a long, luxurious stretch — and a deeply satisfied sound to go with it.
"The new song is finally done."
"Way better than expected. Just what I'd expect from me — Inori."
After watching it through three more times and confirming there was nothing left to fix, Inori was ready to upload it to her social media accounts and sit back while the view count exploded — and watch the money roll in.
It had been a year and a half since she'd arrived in this world — almost without her noticing.
In her previous life she'd trained as a vocal arts student for college entrance exams. Combined with this body's innate, heaven-sent voice, it hadn't taken much effort at all to debut as the internet singer "EGOIST" — and the returns had far exceeded her expectations.
The original Inori had loved singing, of course. But with her emotionless, blank-slate personality, she'd never have thought to film her songs into music videos and post them online. That had probably been Gai's idea, or maybe little Tsugumi's. But since Inori hadn't joined Funeral Parlor, she'd had to manage everything herself.
Fortunately, she'd found a production team online willing to help create special-effects MVs. After borrowing some money from Hare-senpai, she'd gone viral overnight and amassed a massive following.
EGOIST was technically a fictional act from the Guilty Crown anime, but in reality the singer known as Chelly had debuted through that same project — and went on to perform for many other anime and games afterward, including Psycho-Pass and Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress. Inori had more than enough music theory knowledge to recreate EGOIST songs from memory, so soaring popularity was only natural. An angelic face paired with dark, unsettling melodies — a completely unique image that had taken on a life of its own.
After all, the original EGOIST in the Guilty Crown world only had one song — at least as far as the anime showed: "Euterpe," the background track that played at the very start of episode one. But Inori, after successfully uploading the "Euterpe" MV, had kept releasing song after song. The Everlasting Guilty Crown was the latest, just now finished.
"Well then — time to post."
Hare had protested when Inori explained her plans earlier, worried that Inori's public presence online would attract GHQ's attention. But nothing had gone wrong in the original story, so Inori wasn't particularly concerned.
Besides — she was using a realistic CG avatar rendered with special effects. She didn't believe GHQ had nothing better to do than launch an investigation just because a virtual character vaguely resembled someone. And GHQ and Shuichiro Keido were hardly on the same page anyway. If GHQ got wind of his plan to resurrect Eve and trigger another Lost Christmas — that would be the real problem.
"Miss Inori, your voice saved me from my miserable, impoverished life like an angel!"
"Please keep releasing songs! We'll support you forever!"
The moment she opened her personal website's backend, hundreds of private messages flooded in. Inori skimmed them with only passing interest, the corner of her mouth curving up slightly — briefly savoring the sensation of being adored like a star.
But at that exact moment, the phone beside her mouse began to ring.
"Brrring brrring brrring~ Brrring brrring brrring~"
That absurd Tobio ringtone. Inori's brow furrowed slightly. That ringtone meant the caller needed her to answer as her other identity. She stood, picked up the phone, moved to the window, and gazed out at the sun-soaked afternoon. She cleared her throat with careful precision — and pressed answer.
"It's me."
A low, deep, middle-aged male voice came out of Inori's mouth.
"Mr. Diavolo!"
The voice on the other end was a young man's — urgent, rushed.
"What is it, Major Rowan? Calling to grab a coffee?"
Inori blinked, instinctively glancing at the clock, and continued in that same composed tone.
"Regarding the intelligence on the drug traffickers you provided last time — we've tracked them down. But it seems they've received cover from an unknown party. We were unable to apprehend them, and only managed to seize a portion of the contraband. I'm terribly sorry."
"So?"
"Because we tipped them off, they've become far more cautious this time. Our lead has gone cold again. I'm afraid we'll need to trouble you once more to locate their new hideout."
"...Hah." Inori sighed in her borrowed voice. "You people at GHQ really are unreliable."
"We had made thorough preparations." Major Rowan — the GHQ officer who, in the original story's ending, had sacrificed himself to help young Daryl escape — answered with some embarrassment. "But it was as if they knew our operation in advance. It's strange. I suspect a group of terrorists has infiltrated GHQ — we've already launched an investigation."
"If you happen to have any leads, please do keep an eye out."
— Terrorists. Almost certainly Funeral Parlor.
"Even though we couldn't resolve the trafficker situation, your consultant's fee won't be reduced at all! I'll have it transferred to your account shortly."
Hearing no response on the line, Rowan quickly brought up payment.
"Mm. Good."
Inori agreed.
"I'll keep watch on both matters then. Until next time, Major Rowan."
The call ended.
Inori stared out the window. The bird that had been perched on the branch outside had vanished without her noticing. She sighed, then turned back to her desk. The upload screen was still waiting at the information-entry interface — but the mood had drained out of her completely.
— Diavolo. The name of King Crimson's original owner.
For the past year and a half, Inori hadn't simply been writing songs from home. In order to carry out her plan to seize Mana Ouma, she'd made extensive preparations — including successfully establishing contact with GHQ's upper echelons through a consultant arrangement. But to stay hidden, and because the upcoming plan required it, Inori hadn't used her real name. She'd introduced herself as "Diavolo."
After all — between a man in his thirties and a sixteen-year-old girl, which one was more likely to be trusted?
> Author's Note: King Crimson's future evolution stages will each be named after an EGOIST song. Also — the contract's been signed, just before the New Year… so starting today, double updates!