"I'm activating the corridor crystal. I expect your best," Heathcliff declared.
With his words, the corridor opened before the boss room, and the elite team teleported in. Once all were through, the raid party passed the gate, entering the chamber. As reported, no boss was visible, and the door remained open.
"I'll advance to the center. When the door closes, stay alert—especially above," Hachiman said.
He cautiously moved forward. At a certain point, the door slammed shut, and Asuna shouted, "There, above!"
Hachiman sprinted back toward the entrance. The boss dove at him, but Hachiman's speed won out, and it landed behind him, revealing its form.
"The Skull Reaper," Hachiman said.
"A centipede, but a skeletal one," Kirito said.
"Those scythes on its arms look deadly. Avoid direct hits! The other legs are razor-sharp too. Side attackers, keep that in mind," Hachiman said.
Kirito, Klein, and Agil were impressed by Hachiman's near-perfect prediction. Asuna, as usual, muttered, "That's my Hachiman-kun," under her breath.
"Tanks, form a semicircle around Heathcliff! Test the enemy's attack strength head-on! Others, flank left and right, observe its movements! Report any odd lower-body behavior!" Hachiman ordered.
"Got it!" the team responded.
"Tanks, forward!" Heathcliff commanded.
Heathcliff stepped up, blocking a scythe with his shield, unshaken. Another tank, hit by the second scythe, was flung back.
"Slide sideways to fill the gap!" Hachiman shouted, rushing to the fallen tank and handing them a potion. "How was the hit?"
"Insanely heavy. A direct hit could zero HP instantly," the tank said.
"Got it. Recover fully before returning," Hachiman said.
"Got it!" the tank said.
Hachiman raised his voice. "The scythes are lethal. A direct hit might be instant death! Block carefully and chip away with hit-and-away!"
The warning caused a brief tension, but these were elites. No one flinched; their faces burned with resolve.
"No major movements from the sides! The legs seem for counterattacks!" a player reported.
"Good. We might abandon one side," Hachiman said, issuing orders. "Heathcliff, pin the right scythe! Distract it if it turns right!"
"Easier said than done," Heathcliff said, a faint smirk on his face.
"Call if it's too much, Commander," Hachiman said.
"Understood," Heathcliff said.
"Left scythe to Holy Dragon Alliance's main tanks. Just contain it, parry left, don't take direct hits!" Hachiman said.
"Got it!" the tanks said.
"Remaining tanks, focus defense on the right side! Ignore the left! Attackers, hit-and-run when the scythe drops! Don't linger! Use short-cooldown skills for precision!" Hachiman said.
"Yeah!" the attackers shouted.
Hachiman turned to Nezha. "Nezha, hammer its head from behind Heathcliff! You might stun it!"
"Got it, Hachiman-san!" Nezha said.
The battle stabilized, but the scythe tanks took heavy damage just blocking. The left tanks switched frequently, using potions, but Heathcliff—true to form—held the line solo for ages, expertly countering the boss's turns.
(A duel with Kirito would be brutal. He's way sharper than before, Hachiman thought, calculating Heathcliff's HP drain for the final phase.)
To maximize Heathcliff's HP loss, Hachiman decided to pull him back briefly. "Asuna, take command. Safety first."
"Got it. Swapping with the Commander?" Asuna asked.
"Yeah," Hachiman said.
"Don't push too hard," Asuna said.
"Can't make you a widow in a week," Hachiman said.
"If you go, I'm following," Asuna said.
"Now I really can't die. Heathcliff, switch! I won't last long, so swap back after recovering!" Hachiman said.
Hachiman took Heathcliff's place. Facing one scythe felt like fighting a humanoid monster. The attacks were too heavy for parries, so Hachiman fought up close, targeting the scythe's base to disrupt its swings. The other scythe occasionally aimed for him, but Schmidt blocked every strike.
"Thanks, Schmidt," Hachiman said.
"You saved me before, Hachiman. I've got your back," Schmidt said.
Their defense held, and Hachiman's disruption paid off. Nezha's attack landed a critical hit, stunning the boss.
"All-out attack! Cut off some legs! Tanks, hold formation for its recovery! I'll signal when the stun ends! Kirito, unleash a big skill! Klein, Agil, pull Kirito back if he freezes!" Hachiman shouted.
Heathcliff, freshly recovered, stepped forward, slashing off a leg next to the right scythe. Kirito and Hachiman took out a few more, but others struggled. Asuna's rapier, despite her strength, wasn't suited for severing. As the stun mark faded, Hachiman shouted, "Back to formation!"
Anticipating the stun's end, the team snapped back to their original setup, fully focused. With fewer legs, attack opportunities grew, and the boss's HP dropped steadily. Kirito's rapid multi-hit skills and Asuna's hit-and-away strikes shone. As the boss neared its berserk phase, Hachiman issued new orders.
"Left tanks, I'm swapping in! Schmidt, stay and guard my left! Others, deploy to the right! Lind, take charge!"
"Understood!" Lind said.
"Heathcliff, time a stronger parry with Nezha's attacks! I'll match you to stagger it!" Hachiman said.
"Always demanding," Heathcliff said.
"You can do it, right?" Hachiman said.
"I'll try," Heathcliff said.
"Sorry to push you without recovery, but hold on for the end," Hachiman said.
"Got it," Heathcliff said.
Hachiman shouted to all, "Listen up! Before it goes berserk, stun it and finish it! When the stun mark appears, tanks attack too!"
"Hell yeah!" the team roared.
"Go, Nezha!" Hachiman said.
"Yes!" Nezha replied.
Nezha attacked with full force. Just before impact, Heathcliff unleashed a shield-based sword skill. Hachiman, with all his strength, disrupted the scythe, then pressed forward, hammering it with Acht Faust. The boss reeled back, defenseless. Nezha's hit landed, stunning it as planned.
"Go!" Hachiman roared.
"Yaaaah!" the team shouted.
Sword skills lit up the arena, the boss's HP plummeting. Before it could recover, it shattered in a burst of light. "CONGRATULATIONS!" flashed across the room. For the third time—and the first without casualties—the raid team cleared a quarter-point boss.
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