Chapter 78: Hachiman's Final Strategic Meeting
"You three are all here—sorry about that. I originally hoped you could enjoy your break a little longer."
"It's an emergency, can't be helped."
(Well, putting aside Mr. Akihiko's sense of timing, he must've already been mentally prepared for sacrifices.)
Although Hachiman thought this, he showed no expression on his face.
"So, what's the situation now?"
"Just as the intel said. Since scouting has been confirmed impossible, we're summoning the elites for a full meeting tomorrow. The day after, the operation will officially begin."
"There's no other way then. Since crystal items can't be used, healing will have to rely on potions, right? Do we have enough?"
"The stockpile is so large that we can't even fit it all in personal inventories."
"Got it."
"Since even Kirito-kun went out of his way to come, I'll personally explain the full details again."
"Thanks."
Heathcliff then began to explain the details again.
"In this case, we can be certain crystal items are unusable, right?"
"Correct. Though we haven't confirmed the enemy's form, the interior was completely empty before the door closed."
"But the door closing means a condition was triggered, and in a boss room, that only signals one thing—the boss has appeared."
Kirito added to Hachiman's words.
"So, even though those outside the door couldn't see it, the boss had already spawned?"
"Exactly."
"Makes perfect sense."
"As expected of my litt—!"
"Ah... yeah, Asuna."
Heathcliff seemed to be seeing this side of Asuna for the first time and looked a bit confused.
"Then, I'm still in charge of overall command, right?"
"Yes. Sorry that your first time leading is on such a difficult floor."
"I've given suggestions before, so it's fine."
"My little Hachi can totally handle it, commander!"
"Y-yeah, Asuna."
Still confused, Heathcliff whispered to Kirito:
"Kirito-kun, when did Asuna start acting like this?"
"Hm? Guess the commander just didn't notice, but it's been a while now."
"I see..."
"Alright then, let's finalize the details before tomorrow's meeting, Commander."
"Alright."
The four of them discussed possible scenarios, resource preparation, and party formations. Hachiman quietly observed Heathcliff's reactions to each person's suggestions.
The pre-conference discussion ended smoothly and they dispersed.
"See you tomorrow, Commander."
"Good work!"
"Later, Heathcliff."
"Yeah. See you three tomorrow."
After the three left, they headed straight to the secret base.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"It's fine."
"We just got here too!"
"Good, let's start the meeting immediately."
"Heard it's really tricky this time?"
"Yeah."
Hachiman began explaining the whole incident.
"...Sounds really dangerous. Are we sure we'll be okay?"
"We definitely need more intel. Argo, do you have any leads?"
"I searched everywhere. Seems it's not a humanoid enemy. No intel on any related species at all."
"Then it's likely an evolved form of a labyrinth-zone enemy. What's the current enemy-type distribution in the labyrinth zone?"
"Insect-type: 60%, humanoid: 30%, the rest are scattered types."
"Looks like the boss is probably insect-type and very likely to attack from above."
"You can deduce that?"
"Since there was no sign of the boss at the front or sides of the entrance, it has to be above. The system wouldn't create a totally invisible enemy."
"That makes sense."
"When you think of bugs clinging to the ceiling, anything come to mind?"
"Black demons..."
Lisbeth said the words with clear disgust.
"Please don't let it be black demons..."
"Agreed. I can't stand those on a physical level."
Klein chimed in, and Agil nodded.
"Any other possibilities?"
"Centipedes, maybe?"
"Or spiders?"
"Could also be a flying-type boss, like a giant wasp?"
"Yeah..."
"This could go on forever."
"Did Kirito and Asuna notice anything while discussing earlier?"
"They were oddly focused on forming elite teams, even though they could field a full raid group."
"Right. It's a major floor number but they're prioritizing quality over quantity."
"That suggests either the enemy requires precision to handle or that more people would just mean more casualties."
Hachiman fell silent, thinking, then concluded:
"Alright, let's formulate our strategy assuming the enemy is a centipede, spider, or something similar."
"What's the basis?"
"If Heathcliff judged that a large group would be harder to clear it with, then the enemy must have strong group attack abilities. For insects, that likely means multi-legged types."
"True. If it were bee-type enemies, splitting up would be better."
Hachiman nodded and continued:
"Basic plan: I'll rush into the center to attract the boss. The four of you watch above—if you spot the boss, fall back immediately and let the tank squad push forward. Further actions will depend on the boss's form."
"Understood."
"Now for the main topic."
"That wasn't it?"
"Not really. I'm not that worried about the boss fight."
"Why not?"
"You all know how little time we have left, right?"
Everyone nodded.
"Then put yourself in Heathcliff's shoes. If we suffer major losses here, how long would recovery take?"
"Probably months—maybe longer."
"Exactly. And there'd be players who wouldn't survive until we clear the game."
"That'd be bad..."
"So it's a huge disadvantage for Heathcliff. What he's looking at... is the distant future."
"Exactly. I estimate that up to floor 90, things will be manageable. Of course, we can't let our guard down. But what matters is what Heathcliff does after that."
Hachiman paused, took a deep breath, and got to the point:
"I don't plan to wait any longer. The final showdown will happen on this floor."
Everyone swallowed hard.
"My judgment is that floor 75 will be the hardest battle until floor 90. After this, Heathcliff's HP won't drop below half in combat for a while."
"Makes sense."
"So we'll force the Commander's HP to its limit in this boss battle?"
"Exactly. The system will likely prevent it from dropping below 50%, but forcing Heathcliff to carry the burden will make him ultra-focused on control so as not to blow his cover."
"Using the enemy against himself... how ironic."
"Heathcliff will be highly tense under my orders, and at the moment the battle ends, even he will relax."
"And when that happens—"
"At that moment, I'll call out to Heathcliff. As he turns his back—Kirito!"
"Yes!"
"Attack with full force."
"Got it."
"Once his identity is exposed, he'll probably paralyze the entire group and then make up an excuse for a duel."
"As expected of Hachiman, who understands Kayaba."
Indeed, SAO doesn't have any other similar paralyzing status effects. Then—
"Klein, Agil!"
"Yes!"
"Finally our turn?"
"You two will stand in front of me and Asuna to cover us. Make sure you're carrying antidotes."
"Just blocking?"
"Yes. While you buy time, Asuna and I will use the blind spot to recover. Then we jump in for a 3-on-1 surprise. You two, take the antidote and prepare to join as soon as we charge."
"Using us as meat shields to keep Heathcliff from realizing you're mobile... classic Hachiman."
"It's a precaution. Got a problem?"
Asuna nervously asked:
"Um... Hachi, you and Mr. Kayaba go way back, right? We're prepared, but... if it comes to killing him—"
"Defeating him will end the game. He won't truly die. Don't worry about it."
"I see..."
"Any other questions?"
Kirito grinned:
"Is it okay if I just take him out right away?"
"Of course. That'd be even easier."
"Go for it, Kirito!"
"But Heathcliff has definitely improved since our last duel—don't let your guard down."
"Yeah. If it looks bad, I'll just chip away at his HP strategically."
"One last thing—if any of the three of us die—"
Everyone's faces turned pale.
"In that case, everyone else must charge in and finish the kill within ten seconds. That way, the fallen person can be revived. But stay calm—take all ten seconds if needed, but make sure he's killed. No matter what, get it done."
"Understood."
"Leave it to me!"
"Stay calm."
"We'll take down the commander!"
"Everyone, stay alive!"
"We'll be praying!"
"I'm counting on all of you."
With that, both the public and private meetings concluded. The next day's operations meeting passed smoothly, and it was officially decided: thirty-two players will challenge the floor 75 boss.