The woman holding the crimson harp raised her instrument and began to strum a single, chilling chord. A wave of pure, crystalline light shot out, striking King Amethyst mid-air. He fell to the ground instantly, his body crashing hard into the debris-strewn soil. The light had not wounded him physically, but it had robbed him of every ounce of his immense power.

"You don't look so strong now, do you?" said the King of Darkness, his colossal voice echoing with satisfaction.

The King of Darkness extended one armored hand toward the helpless figure. Amethyst's body was pulled through the air like a small, useless toy toward the giant. The King of Darkness secured him effortlessly, and then, slowly, deliberately, he began to twist Amethyst's arms and legs, the sickening crackling sounds audible even over the roar of battle.

Amethyst's armies, witnessing the destruction of their King, faltered. His consorts, still fighting fiercely, paused, looking on in horror. They began to beg for mercy, a chorus of desperate pleas.

"No one will survive, hahaha," sneered the King of Darkness, holding the broken Amethyst before his face. "I'll return the favor you did me that time..."

The armies of the King of Darkness descended like a black plague, beginning the systematic destruction of the planet. The colossal King of Darkness held Amethyst firmly, forcing him to observe as everything he loved was profaned and erased.

King Amethyst screamed at his consorts to flee, to save themselves, but it was already too late. They were surrounded by swarms of men in black armor, scaled-down, ruthless versions of the King of Darkness himself.

The pursuers attacked, ripping and tearing at the consorts' exquisite robes, exposing their colored silks and underwear. Surrounded and facing ultimate profanation, the consorts cried out in unison, screaming apologies to King Amethyst for their failure. In a final, desperate act of loyalty and defiance, they simultaneously triggered a self-destruct mechanism, their bodies dissolving into blinding explosions of pleasure-energy that annihilated their pursuers instantly.

King Amethyst screamed in agony as he watched his women detonate themselves. Tears, bright as jewels, streamed down his face.

The King of Darkness only tightened his grip on the broken figure. "Now do you feel pain? Why aren't you still laughing, you wretched rat...!!"

The King of Darkness brutally forced Amethyst's gaze down upon the ruin of his home. He showed him the last, agonizing moments of his realm: the sprawling ruins, the screams of men and women being ruthlessly raped and murdered by the invading army. The images were seared into King Amethyst's eyes, and he began to scream, his divine mind fracturing under the weight of utter despair and madness.

"Nooo! Stop him! Don't let him activate that, or we'll regret it!" screamed the woman with the crimson harp, recognizing the terrible shift in Amethyst's intent.

King Amethyst, his face wet with tears but his expression now one of cold resolve, pressed a hidden mechanism concealed within his ring. His body began to vibrate violently, emitting a fierce, blinding light. The sudden burst of energy forced the King of Darkness to recoil, momentarily releasing his grip.

The woman shrieked and began strumming her harp with all her strength; dozens of black rays impacted the cocoon of light that enveloped King Amethyst, but nothing could stop the chain reaction. In a catastrophic super-explosion, the planet, the remaining defensive forces, and every single member of the invading army were instantly reduced to atomic ash.

The blinding white light consumed everything.

Then, the scene turned utterly black.

Ethan blinked. The vision dissolved, and he was back in the enormous, silent, futuristic hall, seated at the colossal table. King Amethyst was once again perched on the shoulder of the massive, inert figure of the King of Darkness.

Ethan fell gasping to the floor, terrified, still feeling the terrifying sensation of being utterly crushed by infinite, annihilating power, as if he had been caught directly in the stellar explosion.

"It's a little sad, but that's what happened to my kingdom," said Amethyst, his voice now gentle, the manic edge gone. "It was completely annihilated, so that's all."

It took Ethan several moments to compose himself and climb back into the giant chair. His mind was in chaos, but after forcing himself to organize his thoughts, the most pressing questions surfaced, tumbling out jumbled and broken.

"W-Why me?" stammered Ethan, running a hand over his face. "I—I know who you are now, but what is the System, and why... why was I chosen?"

"That's quite complicated to explain why you were chosen," said Amethyst, tapping a manicured finger against his cheek. "If I had to explain what the System is, it would be the compilation of everything I once knew and the little power and resources I had left after I self-destructed everything. It's my consciousness and my remaining tools, minimized for portability."

Amethyst paused, his purple eyes gleaming with renewed curiosity. "But speaking of that, now I'm curious why you were chosen. Let's see what's in here..."

King Amethyst began pressing several unseen buttons, as if operating a console floating in the air before him. With a sudden shimmer, a girl materialized on the gigantic table, about six or seven years old, wearing a resplendent white dress.

King Amethyst looked at her, tilting his head in confusion. "Why the hell do you look like that?" asked Amethyst. "I don't recall giving you such a childish appearance..."

The girl, who must be the System's avatar, spoke with the familiar, mechanical voice. "I know," said the girl. "It's all the fault of this pervert. I am the representation of his desires. Wasn't that what you told me to do?"

Ethan stared at the child, completely impacted. He instantly knew why she had taken that form and, worse, why she called him that: she was the spitting image of his dead sister, the one he had been obsessed with his entire life.

King Amethyst glanced at Ethan, but there was no disgust or revulsion in his look, only laughter. He raised a finger playfully. "It's not like I have anything against lolicon," said Amethyst. "I wouldn't even care if you slept with a dog... well, I did, and it created a different race, but anyway, that's another story."

Ethan was unable to respond. Denying the accusation would be a lie, as he had been in love with his sister for his entire life. He felt a profound internal contradiction—he wasn't a "lolicon," he was in love with his sister. However, facing this materialized memory was agonizing. She was dead, and ever since he had accepted that fact, his heart had carried a great, aching void.

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