We hadn't moved far from Corvatz and his men when a pack of Lizardmen blocked our path, forcing us into a fight we didn't want.
"Take this! Isn't the Boss Room the only thing left ahead? Could those people have used their crystals to head back already?"
Klein spoke as he finished off the last Lizardman. His reasoning made sense; according to our maps, the distance to the Boss Room was short, with no side paths—just a straight road to the end.
Since we had arrived without catching a glimpse of them, two possibilities remained: either they had returned to town using a Teleport Crystal, as Klein suggested, or...
We hoped for the first, but the second possibility haunted our minds, impossible to ignore.
"Let's pick up the pace."
Just as I was about to suggest it, a horrific scream echoed from deep within the area. The moment it hit our ears, we took off at full speed, leaving the Fuurinkazan guild behind.
"That reckless fool!"
We had warned him, clearly. And yet, Corvatz...!
When we reached the Boss Room, our eyes widened at the hell unfolding inside.
Blue flames flickered throughout the chamber. A massive blue demon stood majestically with its back to us. Before it, the soldiers of the Army knelt on the ground. I counted them; they were two men short compared to when we met them in the safe zone. Had those two managed to escape first?
"What are you doing? Use your Teleport Crystals, now!"
The soldiers were being crushed, helpless against the boss's overwhelming offensive power. Kirito screamed at them to force an immediate escape, but—
"It's no use! The crystals aren't working!"
"Could it be... a Crystal Disconnect Zone!?"
Good god. Of all places, they had placed this trap in the Boss Room. In a situation like this, an instant escape was impossible, and Healing Crystals were useless. Since healing potions work gradually and slowly, no one could buy enough time for their comrades to recover after their HP had plummeted.
Klein and his men arrived late, standing speechless at the sight. Klein desperately racked his brain for a way out once he realized the gravity of the situation.
We were the only ones who had a chance to create an opening. If we intervened, we might be able to help the Army soldiers escape. But then what? With Teleport Crystals disabled, escaping a boss in full combat mode would be nearly impossible. The moment we turned our backs, that greatsword would tear our virtual bodies apart. On the other hand, defeating it with this few players seemed out of the question; this was entirely different from the first five floors where we relied on beta test information.
Should we send one person back to town for help? No. The more players there are, the slower the pace to ensure safety. Waiting for a rescue party that might never arrive—considering the time needed to gather enough players, form a raid group, and reach this room—was pure folly.
"The word 'retreat' does not exist in the Liberation Army's dictionary! Fight! You must fight!"
In a place where crystals failed, the meaning of losing two soldiers was clear. Corvatz, still intent on fighting despite everything, rallied his remaining men.
"Full assault! Charge!"
Corvatz launched a collective attack that lacked even the most basic planning. It was closer to suicide than a gamble.
The Gleam Eyes exhaled a foul, dark mist toward the charging soldiers. As Kirito expected, it possessed special offensive abilities. As the soldiers faltered, the greatsword swung down, shrouded in sharp light effects.
Amidst the swirling dust, someone was thrown toward us. It was Corvatz, the red scarf of leadership still wrapped around his neck.
"Hey! Hang on!"
As Kirito rushed toward him, Corvatz's helmet shattered, its durability depleted. His eyes peered out at us from underneath.
"This is impossible."
Those were his final words before his virtual body dissolved like mist. In that moment, a specific memory flooded my mind with vivid clarity.
The boss gave no one time to mourn Corvatz. He leveled his sword at the remaining soldiers. If this continued, the bodies would keep piling up. I had to do something; I had to find a solution...!
"No—no, please, stop...!"
The moment I heard Asuna's trembling voice, my hand moved toward my spear.
Stop!
I suppressed the urge in silence. Rushing in now might only make the situation worse. I told myself to stay calm, even if I acted. But my head, shaking along with my shallow breaths, was already filled with "that look" at the moment of death.
"Stop it, please!"
"—!"
Before I knew it, I was drawing my weapon and running side-by-side with Asuna.
"Asuna!"
"Mitsuki!"
Kirito and Alice followed in a hurry, with Klein trailing behind like a man who had no other choice.
Asuna and I directed our piercing skills with all our might toward the boss's exposed back. Although it was a complete surprise attack, the boss's HP dropped only a fraction. Even accounting for the damage the Army had dealt earlier, the first bar, which was about halfway, only dropped to around 45%.
Fortunately, our attack seemed more effective than those of the soldiers, and The Gleam Eyes turned its blade toward us. It swung its greatsword in a horizontal arc toward Asuna, who was still caught in the air after her jump, while the snake fangs merging with the demon's body as a tail attacked me on the ground.
I avoided the snake's bite with a quick side-step. Asuna, while she managed to parry the greatsword skillfully, couldn't withstand the iron fist that followed, sending her flying. Before the greatsword could finish her, two swordsmen intervened.
"Kirito!"
"Right! Oh, yaaaaa!"
Kirito and Alice didn't try to block the boss's sword directly. Instead, they let their blades slide along the sides of its weapon. By supporting their swords with all their strength amidst a shower of sparks, they successfully diverted the greatsword's path.
"Fall back!"
Asuna withdrew from the front line temporarily after taking visible damage. The three of us—Kirito, Alice, and I—stood our ground against the boss's attacks, but...
"Kuh...!"
With every swing of the boss's sword, the damage accumulated on Kirito, Alice, and me. I tried to avoid major damage by parrying the attacks without resisting them directly, but even Kirito and the others—whose stats were likely more oriented toward physical endurance than mine—couldn't block the strikes entirely. Furthermore, this boss possessed an evolved behavior pattern; its movements were wide-ranging but their timing was difficult to predict. As a result, our HP steadily drained even while we were in a full defensive stance.
"Grrrrraaaaaaoooo!"
"Kuh...! Oooooh...!"
With a savage cry, the greatsword fell, and Kirito and I caught it together. We barely managed to stop it; its physical strength was so immense it could break our guard the moment we faltered.
"Alice... !"
"—!"
In that tiny opening we created, Alice unleashed a Vorpal Strike from point-blank range into the boss's exposed midsection. The Gleam Eyes reacted visibly for the first time after taking this high-tier one-handed sword skill, its health bar dropping significantly to about 35%.
"Ha... ha... it seems the abdomen is the most vulnerable area."
"Knowing that is a huge gain, but... keeping this up is exhausting!"
"We have no choice! We stay here and hold the line until Klein and the others finish evacuating the Army!"
As Kirito said, there was no turning back. Above all, I was responsible for dragging Kirito and the others into this mess; I had no right to complain from the start.
The current plan was for two of us to suppress the greatsword while the third attacked the abdomen. We swapped roles at high speed, fighting desperately to distribute the boss's attacks, which slowly drained our HP even through our defense.
After several strikes, the first HP bar finally vanished. When I checked our surroundings, I saw that the number of people trapped at the back of the room had decreased significantly. However, because of our position in the center, not everyone had evacuated yet.
I had to focus on the fight—but as I turned my attention back to the boss, my eyes caught something.
(Is that... a sword?)
At that moment, Alice's words echoed in my mind.
—The possibility of other weapons hidden in the walls—
A bad feeling hit me instantly, and it quickly became reality.
The snake tail split into two and extended toward the side walls. The snakes caught two longswords in their mouths, serving as new arms for the blue-eyed demon as it lunged at us.
(Fast!)
I managed to defend at the last second. From the feel of the impact, they were lighter than the greatsword, but their speed was incredible. Additionally, while the boss's body was humanoid, making its attack paths somewhat predictable, the flickering snake tails made it difficult to determine the direction and timing of the strikes. This forced Alice and me on the flanks to focus entirely on parrying these two swords.
Naturally, the burden increased on Kirito, who was handling the greatsword in the center. This demon, by changing its pattern and controlling three swords with one body, had completely suppressed us.
"Damn it, if this keeps up...!"
We parried the three swords that fell on us simultaneously, each taking one. Even if the longswords were lighter, they were still heavy compared to standard weapons. Any lapse would shatter our guard and result in a devastating blow.
"Do I have to use 'that thing'?! But—"
"Alice. Please—can you buy me just ten seconds...!?"
Alice responded with a look while parrying the sword on the opposite side. Kirito did the same—he seemed to realize what I intended to do.
"... Who are you talking to? I—I am Mitsuki's partner...! Even if the opponent is a Floor Boss, holding out for ten seconds isn't that hard...!"
No matter how strong Alice was, she wasn't invincible. Blocking this demon's attacks wasn't easy even with her high skill. Yet, that noble "Princess Knight" smiled and agreed to my request. Then, I had only to respond to her nobility with all my strength.
"Asuna, Klein! Please, hold the line for ten seconds with Alice!"
Kirito, who seemed to have made his decision as well, gathered all his strength and pushed back the swords pressing down from above. We then leaped back with all our might to avoid the counterattack.
At that moment, Asuna and the others rushed in from the sides, beginning ten seconds of desperate combat.
From here on, no mistakes were allowed. I opened my status window, manipulating the equipment icons while trying to calm my racing emotions. I then selected a specific skill from the skill list and placed it in the main slot.
"Alright, start!"
Responding to Kirito's voice, Asuna and Klein parried the side swords. Alice tried to create an opening to withdraw, but she couldn't dodge in time and was thrown back by a horizontal swing from the greatsword.
She didn't seem to take a fatal hit thanks to her last-second parry, but her HP—already lowered from the impact with the wall—had reached the red zone.
I won't let my comrades be hurt anymore!
"Switch!!"
The two of us charged with that resolve—as our hands reached for a new weight added to our backs.
The moment I saw the two longswords targeting Alice, I drew a black sword and began running along the blade of the greatsword that was embedded in the stone floor. As I leaped over the demon's head, I drew the black spear from my back—!
I parried the two longswords with the two spears in my hands and slid down to sever the snakeheads holding the sword hilts. I saw the boss's HP bar drop visibly. It seemed the tip of the tail was also a weakness, just like the abdomen.
Now—!!
I shrouded the weapons in both my hands with light effects and charged with Kirito in an overwhelming counterattack—!
I lunged with the right spear and then slashed outward. Without stopping, I spun the left spear with force and used the momentum to slash again. The attacks fell like a shower of meteors, combining thrusts and slashes, all poured onto that small weak point—!
But the enemy didn't give up easily. It attacked us with the longswords at every opening, the gray blades tearing through my shoulder and side.
Kirito and I, who already had weak defense, became completely exposed while activating our sword skills. My HP must have been draining at a terrifying speed. But in that moment, I didn't care about anything. Only three things were in my mind—
Faster! Stronger!! Precise—!!!
Since the moment this skill was activated, the fight had become a race against time. A fight over who would deplete the other's HP first. To win this race, simply activating the skill wasn't enough. Even with the increased power provided by skills outside the system—it still wasn't enough.
I had to be faster. I had to hit harder. More, more, and more—! Passing strikes were useless; every hit had to be precise and delivered with all my strength! Slash and pierce just one point—!!
Suddenly, it felt as though my vision exploded with sparks, dyeing my world gray. In that black-and-white world, everything seemed slow. The flickering tail that had been annoying and the massive sword tearing through my body no longer mattered.
Lights of water-color and emerald-color danced, roaming the Boss Room.
"Ooooooo—aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa !!!"
With a roar that sounded like a beast's, the final blow was unleashed—!
—The Dual Blades 16-hit skill, Starburst Stream.
—The Dual Spears 15-hit skill, Meteor Storm Glanz.
The Gleam Eyes received a total of 31 consecutive hits, letting out a massive death cry before its huge body exploded.
"Ha... ha... "
"Ha... ha..."
There were no thunderous cheers like those that usually follow a boss defeat. Only the word "Congratulations!" floating in the air silently blessed our victory.
As for me, I was suffering from blurred vision and a sharp headache, not in any state to celebrate—and soon, both of us lost consciousness.
I woke up to a tickling sensation on the tip of my nose, meeting two beautiful blue eyes looking directly at me.
"Alice...?"
"Yes, it's me."
We exchanged a few words, then I slowly sat up. My vision was still a bit blurry, and the pain in the back of my head hadn't subsided. I looked at the top left of my vision and found that my HP had only a few tiny points left, to the point where I felt a small stumble might end my life.
Beside me, Asuna was holding Kirito and crying, and around us, Klein, his Fuurinkazan comrades, and the surviving Army soldiers looked at us with concern.
I drank the healing potion Alice gave me. As I blinked to clear the haze from my eyes, Klein stepped forward with a serious expression.
"We've finished treating the survivors... but Corvatz and two others are dead."
As I expected, there were casualties. I saw one of the Army soldiers holding a sword, likely a memento from a fallen comrade, with great care.
Kirito opened his broken eyes and spoke as if recalling painful memories.
"Is this the first time casualties have occurred in a boss battle since the 67th floor?"
"Can this even be called clearing? That reckless fool Corvatz..."
A heavy gloom hung over the Boss Room.
"Leaving that aside, what did you two just do?"
Klein tried to change the subject to lighten the mood. But for us, this topic was also sensitive and difficult...
"..."
"Ah... is it really necessary for us to tell you?"
"Of course! I've never seen anything like that before!"
I was prepared for this question, but it seemed there was no escaping it.
"It's an extra skill. For me, it's Dual Blades—"
"And for me, it's Dual Spears."
A faint whisper echoed through the room. We were immediately asked about the conditions for obtaining them, and we replied that if we knew, we would have published them for everyone long ago.
"If they aren't in the latest skill lists from information brokers, then that means... they are unique skills held only by you two—Unique Skills! You two are amazing, hiding a secret weapon like that."
"If we knew the conditions for obtaining them, we would have told you immediately. Increasing the number of users for these skills would be a huge help to the clearing group. But Kirito and I have no idea. They just appeared in the skill window suddenly."
Kirito told me when he revealed the Dual Blades skill that it appeared after clearing the 50th floor. I thought about it carefully and assumed it might be the "second Last Attack (LA) bonus for the 50th-floor boss"... but Kirito ruled that out, saying that having two powerful rewards for one boss, even a quarter-floor one, might break the game balance.
As for my Dual Spears skill, it appeared around the same time, and both of us found no explanation for the sequential appearance of these unique skills other than confusion.
"True, the online player community is full of haters and envious people... I might understand as a balanced person, but jealousy and spite will inevitably exist."
I agreed with him. If SAO weren't a death game—or even in its current state—if I knew someone had a skill like this, I would feel some envy. It's a kind of curse that follows the "gamer" class.
"And in your case—huh?"
Klein gave a meaningful look to his Fuurinkazan comrades, and everyone began looking at the four of us with strange, warm gazes.
"What is it...?"
"Nothing? Well, consider that struggle part of your training, and work hard, you youngsters."
Klein ended his talk and ordered the Army soldiers to give a detailed report to leadership about what happened, telling them not to repeat such recklessness again.
Klein took over the task of activating the Teleport Gate for us because we were completely exhausted, stopping once before the stairs leading to the 75th floor.
"Kirito. When you rushed in to save the Army soldiers."
"Yeah...?"
"I felt—happy. That's all I have. Goodbye."
Klein wiped his nose and left without looking back.
We wanted to return as well, but Asuna was still sitting beside Kirito and didn't seem like she was going to move.
At Kirito's suggestion, Alice and I decided to leave the labyrinth area first. After saying goodbye to Asuna, we left the Boss Room and returned to the city using a Teleport Crystal.
I said I was fine on my own, but Alice insisted, saying, "What if you fall on the road again?" I found no response to her words, so she accompanied me quietly until we reached Danac.
"We're inside the Safe Zone now. Why don't you put your spear in storage? It'll be easier for you if you lighten your load."
"You're right."
I put my spear into the Storage list as she did with her armor. I stretched my body, which had become light as she said, and headed straight for my house without stopping.
"Thanks for walking me back. Well, goodnight. Get some rest, Alice."
I bid farewell to Alice, who had accompanied me all the way to my door with all politeness, but she didn't respond. Usually, before leaving, she would advise me "not to stay up late and sleep early" and the like...
I wondered if she was tired too. As I placed my hand on the doorknob, I suddenly felt a slight pressure on my back.
"Alice?"
When I looked back, I found Alice clinging to me completely, resting her head against my back.
"Hey—"
"Just for a moment."
Alice's grip on my jacket tightened.
"Let me stay like this for a moment... I want to feel your heartbeat."
It seemed that Alice, who had been acting tough in front of everyone, was also feeling anxious inside. Perhaps it was fortunate that my house was located in a place with few passersby—though saying so felt strange—so there was no need to worry about anyone seeing her. I stood there for a while, feeling Alice's warmth through my back.
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