Under the continuous sword skill assaults from Yusei's trio, the giant bat boss's HP had dropped into the red danger zone. According to SAO's boss mechanics, they would enter a enrage state at this point.
And that's exactly what happened next. The bat boss let out a roar, and countless red lights burst forth from its body, illuminating the surroundings. The originally dark room became bathed in a crimson glow.
The Capture Group's players hadn't anticipated this change and struggled to deal with the smaller bats, which had become extremely savage under the red light.
"This red light... it seems to make people lose their sanity!"
Suddenly, someone shouted this. Then, everyone saw a player beside him recklessly charge out of their formed formation, directly chasing a smaller bat that had flown farther away.
"Run! Just die!" The player seemed to be under some illusion, desperately chasing that bat.
This scene gradually started happening among other players with solid formations.
"Damn it! Don't run! Get a grip!"
"Hey, hey, Moko! Snap out of it!"
"Damn it, you bastard! Where's your usual spirit?! How can you be affected by something like this?!"
In an instant, the Capture Group's players inside the Boss Room fell into complete chaos. Formations were gone, everyone was fighting for themselves.
Yusei keenly noticed that those who lost their sanity and were driven by rage weren't sword-and-shield users… simply put, they weren't tanks, they were all damage dealers.
The tanks, with their high resistances, weren't affected immediately.
Asuna naturally noticed this too, but her eyebrows were still slightly furrowed. Being affected was just a matter of time, and high resistance alone wasn't enough.
After a moment of thought, Asuna looked seriously at Yusei and said, "Yusei-kun, wait a moment. I'll go lure the Boss... You and Shiro prepare the lethal strike."
Yusei shook his head, "Luring the Boss is too dangerous. Let me do it. My sword technique can finish it off instantly."
Asuna was taken aback, looking at Yusei puzzled, "I remember both Kuzuryusen and Doryusen have range limitations, right?"
As she spoke, she looked up at the boss hanging upside down from the ceiling, constantly emitting red light, "This distance... only by running up the wall could you barely reach it. Jumping won't hit it."
"They do have range limitations, but maybe this bat boss will come down on its own." Yusei smiled slightly without explaining further.
He quietly activated his Sharingan. The eerie Three-Tomoe Sharingan stared directly at the giant bat on the ceiling beam... making eye contact.
Both had red eyes, but at this moment, one side became dazed, while the other inspired fear in those who saw it.
Yusei's Sharingan naturally wouldn't be exposed, as it was disguised by the system.
Bats have poor eyesight, but that didn't mean it could evade the Sharingan's hypnosis. The giant bat, under Asuna's astonished gaze, stopped emitting the red light and simply fell straight down from the air.
Yusei didn't hesitate.
He gripped his Ice Dragon Katana... and his whole body shot towards the falling giant bat like an arrow from a bow.
A slash that transcended space… in that moment, nine became one. It clearly looked like just one strike, but on the giant bat's body, nine wounds suddenly appeared.
The bat let out a final shriek... its entire body stiffened, then turned into countless data fragments, dissipating in the air.
The boss was dead, and the smaller bats naturally all died too, turning into data fragments and vanishing.
[Aincrad Floor 32 - Cleared!]
The system prompt announcing the successful clear appeared before every Capture Group's player. They hugged each other, celebrating this moment of victory.
Yusei landed on the ground and slowly sheathed his Ice Dragon Katana. Before he could check what the Last Attack's reward item was, he heard several nervous voices nearby.
"Um... thank you so much. If it weren't for you just now, I might have died."
A girl who didn't look very old came up to Yusei and said nervously. Her HP bar was displayed beside her.
Yusei glanced at it… it was literally one sliver away from zero.
"I'm also very relieved I could kill the boss in time." Yusei said with a light smile.
Then, several others came over to thank Yusei, all grateful that he killed the boss in time, saving them.
Seeing this, Asuna couldn't help but show a hint of pride on her face.
After most of the Capture Group's players had dispersed, Asuna finally walked up. She teasingly patted Yusei's shoulder.
"Not bad. Just one raid and you've won over quite a few people. If you came a few more times, I'd have to give up my leader position to you."
"Please don't. I'm no good at managing others." Yusei shrugged.
"Haha. Not that I'd let you have it anyway." Asuna laughed happily.
However, she soon stopped laughing and looked seriously at Yusei, "Thank you so much today. Without you, even if the Capture Group succeeded, there would have been many sacrifices."
"After all, I'm a player too. Clearing bosses is what I should do."
Asuna smiled and nodded, then held up two fingers, seemingly making a peace sign gesture.
Yusei looked at this, puzzled, "Are we taking a photo?"
"Of course not." Asuna rolled her eyes at Yusei, then said with a grin, "This way, you've helped me twice now. I feel uneasy if I don't repay you somehow."
"How about this: I recently obtained quite a few A-grade ingredients. I'll personally cook a big meal for you siblings to try."
"Don't think I'm just always on the front lines raiding. I'm actually a cooking expert." Asuna confidently lifted her small head.
"A cooking expert? I guess you're the only one who'd have the leisure to level up your cooking skill." Yusei sighed.
"What's wrong with that? This is called enjoying life. Facing death every day is hard enough. I have to let myself eat and drink well, right?" Asuna pouted cutely.
Yusei looked at the cute Asuna and teased, "I never thought our [Flash] was also a foodie. Well, actually, I'm a foodie too."
"So what if I'm a foodie? We foodies are proud." Asuna proudly raised her head, then added with a sense of happiness, "No matter how much we eat in this world, we won't gain weight. That's one of the few things in SAO that feels truly blissful."