"Thanks for coming, you three. I'm sorry—we'd hoped you could enjoy your vacation longer," Heathcliff said.
"It's an emergency. Can't be helped," Kirito said.
(Though I bet Akihiko had the casualties planned, just not the timing, Hachiman thought, keeping it to himself.)
"What's the situation?" Hachiman asked.
"As I messaged, scouting's impossible now. We're gathering elites for a meeting tomorrow and launching the full raid the day after," Heathcliff said.
"No other choice, huh? With crystals useless, we're relying on potions. Got enough?" Kirito asked.
"More than anyone's storage can hold," Heathcliff said.
"Got it," Kirito said.
"Since you came all this way, Kirito-kun, I'll explain the details myself," Heathcliff said.
"Please," Kirito said.
Heathcliff began a detailed rundown.
"So, crystals are definitely unusable?" Hachiman asked.
"Yes. The enemy's unidentified, but nothing appeared until the door closed," Heathcliff said.
"A closing door means a flag was triggered. In a boss room, that's the boss appearing," Hachiman said.
Kirito added, "So those outside didn't see it, but it probably spawned."
"Exactly," Hachiman said.
"Makes sense," Asuna said.
"Brilliant as always, my Hachiman-kun!" Asuna beamed.
"Uh, yeah, thanks, Asuna-kun," Heathcliff said, visibly thrown by her enthusiasm.
"I'm commanding the raid, right?" Hachiman asked.
"Yes. I'm sorry your first command is such a tough floor," Heathcliff said.
"I've been butting in plenty before. No issue," Hachiman said.
"My Hachiman-kun can handle anything, Commander!" Asuna said.
"Y-Yes, Asuna-kun," Heathcliff said, still flustered.
Heathcliff whispered to Kirito, "Since when is Asuna-kun like this?"
"She's been like this for a while. You just didn't notice," Kirito said.
"I see…" Heathcliff said.
"Let's prep for tomorrow's meeting, Commander," Kirito said.
"Right," Heathcliff said.
The four discussed scenarios, supplies, and formations. Hachiman subtly watched Heathcliff's reactions to each comment. The meeting for the joint strategy concluded smoothly, and they adjourned.
"See you tomorrow, Commander," Hachiman said.
"Good work!" Asuna said.
"Later, Heathcliff," Kirito said.
"Until tomorrow," Heathcliff replied.
The three left for their secret base.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Hachiman said.
"No problem," Klein said.
"We just got here too!" Agil said.
"Alright, let's start," Hachiman said.
"Sounds intense!" Klein said.
"Yeah," Hachiman said.
Hachiman explained the situation.
"Sounds rough. You sure we're okay?" Silica asked.
"We need more info," Hachiman said. "Argo, anything?"
"I've been digging. It's not humanoid—zero info on that," Argo said.
"Then it's likely an advanced maze enemy. What's the maze's enemy breakdown?" Hachiman asked.
"Insects sixty percent, humanoids thirty, the rest mixed," Argo said.
"Probably an insect boss, then. Likely coming from above," Hachiman said.
"How do you know?" Lizbeth asked.
"No boss was visible from the entrance or sides. It's gotta be above. An invisible enemy's unlikely," Hachiman said.
"Fair point," Kirito said.
"Name some ceiling-clinging insects," Hachiman said.
"Black devils…" Lizbeth said, grimacing.
"Anything but those," Klein said.
"I'm with you," Agil agreed.
"Other ideas?" Hachiman asked.
"Centipedes?" Silica said.
"Spiders?" Klein said.
"Maybe flying ones, like wasps," Asuna said.
"Too many possibilities," Lizbeth said.
"Anything stand out from the meeting, Kirito, Asuna?" Hachiman asked.
"Heathcliff seemed fixated on a small, elite team. A full raid's doable, right?" Kirito said.
"Yeah, for a milestone floor, he's prioritizing quality over numbers," Asuna said.
"A small team's needed, or casualties rise," Hachiman said.
Hachiman thought, then decided. "We'll assume it's a centipede, spider, or similar."
"Based on?" Kirito asked.
"If Heathcliff thinks a big group's tough, the enemy likely attacks multiple targets at once. That points to multi-limbed insects," Hachiman said.
"Wasps would favor spreading out," Kirito said.
Hachiman nodded. "Plan is: I rush the center to trigger the boss. The four in combat subtly watch above. Once we spot it, fall back hard. Tanks advance with shields up. Positioning depends on the boss's form."
"Got it," Kirito said.
"Now, the real topic," Hachiman said.
"That wasn't it?" Klein asked.
"I'm not too worried about the boss," Hachiman said.
"Why not?" Argo asked.
"We're running out of time, right?" Hachiman said.
Everyone nodded.
"If you were Heathcliff, what'd you think? A wipeout here—how long to recover?" Hachiman asked.
"Months, maybe more," Kirito said.
"Some might die before we clear," Klein said.
"Exactly. That's inconvenient for Heathcliff," Hachiman said.
"He's looking further ahead…" Kirito said.
"I think we can reach Floor 90 without major issues, if we stay sharp. After that, it's how Heathcliff stages things," Hachiman said.
Hachiman paused, took a deep breath, and got to the point. "I don't plan to drag this out. We settle it on this floor."
Everyone swallowed hard.
"My theory: Floor 75 is the toughest until at least Floor 90, maybe beyond. Heathcliff's HP won't drop near half in combat anytime soon," Hachiman said.
"Could be," Kirito said.
"So we push his HP to the limit in this fight," Asuna said.
"Yeah. It's set to never drop below half, so we throw the toughest parts at him. He'll adjust to avoid exposure, since he can't let us know his identity," Hachiman said.
"Trusting the enemy's weird, but it tracks," Kirito said.
"Heathcliff'll be on edge following my orders. After the fight, even he'll let his guard down," Hachiman said.
"You'll make sure of it," Kirito said.
"Then I'll get Godfrey to call him over. When he turns his back, that's our chance. Kirito, hit him with everything," Hachiman said.
"On it," Kirito said.
"He'll probably paralyze everyone, offer a duel with some excuse," Hachiman said.
"Only you'd predict Kayaba like that," Kirito said.
"Yeah. Paralysis is likely the only status effect like that in SAO. Next, Klein, Agil," Hachiman said.
"Yeah!" Klein said.
"Finally our turn," Agil said.
"Stand in front of me and Asuna, shield us. Keep paralysis potions ready," Hachiman said.
"Just hide you?" Klein asked.
"Yeah. While you cover us, Asuna and I cure our paralysis in his blind spot. When the moment comes, we jump in, and the three of us take him down. You two use potions just before we strike to prep," Hachiman said.
"Damn, Hachiman, you're scary," Klein said.
"Shielding you ensures he doesn't know we're mobile. That's the plan. Questions?" Hachiman asked.
Asuna hesitantly spoke. "Hachiman-kun, you know Kayaba-san, right? We're prepared, but… killing him feels heavy."
"Beating him clears the game, so he won't die. Don't worry too much," Hachiman said.
"Right, that makes sense," Asuna said.
"Anything else?" Hachiman asked.
Kirito grinned. "I can take him out solo, right?"
"Sure. That'd save me effort," Hachiman said.
"Go for it, Kirito!" Asuna cheered.
"Heathcliff's grown since your last duel and has countermeasures. It won't be easy, but I'm counting on you," Hachiman said.
"If it's tough, I'll chip his HP as much as I can," Kirito said.
"One last thing we can't ignore," Hachiman said. "If one of us three dies."
The group paled.
"Everyone charges and takes him down in ten seconds. That'll save the fallen. Don't panic. Use the full ten seconds, but do it, no matter how dirty. Don't forget," Hachiman said.
"Got it," Kirito said.
"Leave it to me!" Klein said.
"We'll stay cool," Agil said.
"We'll take him down!" Asuna said.
"Survive, everyone!" Silica said.
"We're praying for you!" Lizbeth said.
"Countin' on ya!" Argo said.
The surface and shadow meetings concluded. The next day's strategy session went smoothly, and a team of thirty-two was set to tackle the Floor 75 boss.