In Greek mythology, minotaurs, creatures with the head of a bull and the body of a man, lived within the underground labyrinth of Crete. Beyond that broadly fixed image, how they were further interpreted was left to later generations. And now, the Taurus King made its overwhelming entrance.
Its face was a perfect transplant of a demonic visage, and its towering form was so immense that it seemed capable of touching the ceiling of this vast boss chamber with a single reach.
It truly lived up to the name, the king of this floor dominated by bulls and barren land.
The silence lasted only a few seconds.
The Taurus King, radiating unrestrained authority, lowered its head and cast a sidelong glance down at the remaining assault team.
"Everyone, fall back!!"
Diavel's shout, forced out as he snapped from his shock, shattered the stillness.
"So Baran's final phase is calling in a superior, huh…" Kirito's bitter voice followed.
He hadn't anticipated this at all. That meant this was another adjustment made by Kayaba Akihiko to the final version.
"Don't panic! If we lose order, it's over! Maintain your positions and slowly retreat toward the exit!"
Diavel then turned toward the group that had just defeated the Colonel.
"Leave the paralyzed players at the wall to you!"
Charging in without understanding Taurus King's attack patterns was extremely dangerous. No matter how one looked at it, the highest priority was to withdraw safely and regroup with a new strategy.
But now, the main force had to face both the General and the King at the same time. Could they really maintain the formation under that pressure?
"Hurry, everyone!" Agil rushed first toward the five or six players still unable to move at the wall.
Two overlapping roars shook the air. The players answered with shouts, but there was no longer any fighting spirit in them. The moment Taurus King appeared, every plan and formation they had prepared was thrown into chaos. The two massive shadows, one large and one smaller, raised their warhammers and swept them across groups of players without hesitation.
"Stop attacking! Keep your distance! Just make sure to dodge their Sword Skills!"
If someone got hit by a debuff now, it could very well lead to the worst-case scenario, abandoning them entirely.
The players who had been surrounding Baran quickly spread out and retreated. Without Diavel's constant reminders, some might have already turned their backs in panic, exposing themselves completely. Even so, the usually composed knight's voice now carried a trace of unease.
"You guys alright?"
Agil and his two burly companions hoisted the paralyzed players onto their shoulders with brute strength.
"Sorry for the trouble…"
"Don't say that now."
Orlando and the others also stepped in to help move the remaining players.
Satoru, not being built for Strength, chose not to interfere with the rescue efforts of the tank players. Instead, he focused on analyzing the situation.
From a distance, he stared at the Taurus King, which had already thrown their formation into disarray. Its pitch-black, pupil-less eyes swept the battlefield with contempt. Beside it, Baran had also entered a berserk state. The paralysis hammer, which previously had a cooldown, now seemed to come every three seconds, swinging continuously and scattering arcs of electricity.
The gap in difficulty between the First Floor and the Second Floor… was it really this extreme?
Satoru frowned deeply.
Not only were there debuff-inflicting mobs, but even the boss fight itself could suddenly escalate with the arrival of another heavyweight boss.
You're really enjoying this, aren't you?
He directed that thought toward the absent game creator.
But now was also the perfect moment to gather data. With the Taurus King rampaging, this was the chance to observe its attack patterns and unique skills, to fill in the gaps in his knowledge.
He took a deep breath and locked his gaze onto the massive figure.
Its attacks resembled a pure, upgraded version of Baran's. But if that was the case, just how much stronger were the paralysis hammer attacks now? Had the range expanded by over ten meters? If so, getting close would be impossible.
Hurry… show it.
Show that kind of skill, or this observation means nothing.
"…"
Satoru's body suddenly stiffened.
Amid the shouting of his teammates and the chaotic flashes of Sword Skills, across that vast distance, the Taurus King's gaze shifted toward them.
For a moment, it felt like their eyes met.
But it wasn't just him. It was the entire area where they stood.
Those pitch-black eyes encompassed Kirito and the others, as well as the paralyzed players being carried away.
A chill ran down his spine.
Danger.
The Taurus King's jaw slowly opened.
To him, it looked unmistakably like a cold, cunning smile, one filled with intent. It was absurd, just a boss made of data, yet the sensation was so real it sent a shiver through his entire body.
The Taurus King suddenly leaned its upper body backward, its massive mouth opening wide. Its chest, solid as armor, swelled as it drew in air with violent force.
Satoru instantly drew his curved sword and pointed it to the right, activating a dash-type Sword Skill and launching himself forward like an arrow.
By the time he landed and tried to shout a warning, it was already too late. His voice was torn apart by the thunderous storm that followed.
When he instinctively turned his head, all he could see was blinding white light.
The bull-faced reliefs and vine-like patterns across the wide floor were gradually consumed, dyed completely white.
Lightning exploded in the air with a shrill, grinding scream. Wind, mixed with white thunder, surged forward in a sweeping torrent. More than twenty players at the very front were swallowed instantly by the white light.
In just one or two seconds, the overwhelming breath attack slammed into the wall where they had been moments before.
Satoru, who had barely escaped using Reaver, stood frozen in disbelief for several seconds.
Then came a surge of emotion he hadn't felt in a long time.
He wanted to curse.
What the hell happened to there being no magic?!
He slowly turned back toward the Taurus King, which let out a low, menacing sound.
"Lightning breath… area-of-effect… damn it."
The words were forced out through clenched teeth.
In the party list at the top left, Agil and the others had already lost twenty percent of their HP.
But more terrifying than the damage was the status effect.
Paralysis.
The 300-second countdown ticked down slowly.
As the smoke cleared, Diavel's entire force lay on the ground, struggling.
Aside from him… the entire assault team was immobilized.
The air in the room was thick with fear and unease.
Diavel, lying on the ground, seemed to be shouting something, but he could barely form coherent words, let alone regain control of the situation.
This situation… is beyond salvage.
The Taurus King, having unleashed its breath attack, planted its massive hammer into the ground. It looked as though it was recovering after expending a great deal of stamina, but even if it did not immediately pursue the players lying on the ground, there was still Baran, who had already entered a berserk state. From the earlier battle, it was already within the kill threshold.
And yet, it was precisely this dying Baran that would become everyone's nightmare.
If it were only it, if it were only Baran, already at critical HP…
Satoru's heartbeat began to quicken.
No. I have no such obligation.
Turning around and leaving now was entirely possible. He could definitely preserve his life, and all it required was exchanging the lives of these dozens of people. Besides, he was just someone who memorized information mechanically. What could someone like him possibly do to save dozens of people?
Satoru licked his dry lips.
The hand gripping his curved sword trembled uncontrollably.
His expression grew darker and darker.
Right. This world has never treated me gently. So why should I show compassion?
Leave. Just leave.
Guilt is something that disappears after a single night's sleep.
"This is quite a big one. How about it, want to team up with us? If we take it down, we'll get plenty of EXP. Maybe even rare drops."
In a daze, that person's face surfaced before his eyes again. The initial friendliness, then the disbelief and despair when betrayed. In the end, his features twisted into something like a ghostly mask, hollow eyes that seemed as if they might bleed, staring blankly at him from somewhere unseen.
Clearly just a stranger. Someone he didn't even know.
And yet, it haunted him like a nightmare.
"Ah…"
He let out a vacant, pale smile.
Once again, he understood.
He was neither a fearless hero nor a villain who could ignore everything. Satoru had always been the most cowardly one, trapped in the cracks. And in hell, the most vicious place was always reserved for those who, when faced with right and wrong, chose neutrality and did nothing.
Then what was he supposed to do? What could someone like him do?
Or perhaps…
Gradually, the way he looked at Baran turned into something almost insane.
"Killing it at low HP, taking the last hit and EXP. That's selfish. But the act itself also counts as rescue."
He muttered quietly.
A self-serving choice that could also ease his guilt, even if only slightly.
Yes.
This was perfect.
For Satoru, the perfect way to survive.
As for what would happen once the Taurus King recovered, what he would do after stepping into that death trap, he buried those thoughts deep within the dust at the bottom of his heart.
...
"Everyone… drink your potions."
Diavel forced the words out with difficulty, but at this point, no matter how brilliant the command, it was meaningless.
This was their final struggle.
With trembling hands, they pulled out their green potions. At the same time, Baran's dark figure grew larger and larger in their vision, like an executioner slowly raising its massive hammer.
"No—"
Someone let out a tearful cry.
"We can't die here!!"
Their voices were answered only by Baran's heavy breathing. Under a surge of malice, the giant hammer wrapped in golden arcs of electricity began to fall.
Rip!!
The piercing sound of a Sword Skill tore through the air.
An orange-red blade flash struck cleanly and heavily through Baran's powerful arms. Hit by the attack, it roared in confusion and rage.
Expressionless, Satoru had already arrived before Baran's waist the moment his dash ended. Without looking up, he could not even fully take the creature into view.
But there was no need to look anymore.
Its attack patterns were already understood, and its HP had entered the kill threshold.
Even with his eyes closed, he could finish it.
He let out a low growl and stepped forward forcefully, unleashing a flawless chain of Sword Skills at Baran.
One after another, crimson blade trails carved through the air, blooming like blood-red thorns before him.
Before the visual effects of one skill faded, the next erupted immediately. The red glow on the Crimson Sickle Fang grew deeper and heavier, like fresh blood spilling outward.
This combo might not be enough to defeat someone as talented as Sheeta, but it was enough.
Wounds tore open across Baran's body. Driven back a step by the overwhelming hit count of the sword dance, it fixed its gaze on Satoru, a man not even half its height, and let out a deafening roar, as if it wanted to devour him whole.
"But to me, it just sounds like the dying cry of something already dead."
Satoru muttered.
Two monsters cornered in despair, and a curved sword user balancing between misfortune and luck. The players lying on the ground stared in shock at the red light tearing through the air in front of him.
"W-wait! That skill hasn't been interrupted yet, Yurnero!"
Diavel's expression changed drastically as he shouted with all his strength.
Baran was still roaring. Above its head, the giant hammer crackling with lightning remained raised.
Berserk state, it was not so easily interrupted, and the reason it had not yet come down was likely the natural stiffness caused by the overwhelming number of hits.
Only then did Satoru slowly raise his head, meeting Baran's gaze at point-blank range.
There was no fear in his eyes.
Only the stillness of dead water.
Because understanding a mass of data was far easier than understanding a human.
The hammer crashed down.
Satoru had already shifted slightly, avoiding a direct hit, but immediately afterward, the stiffness effect from the strike took hold.
The flow of his curved sword was forcibly cut off. It slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground with a clang.
Weapon disarm, a negative effect triggered by that debuff.
Everyone's heart sank.
He had no way to counterattack.
On Baran's bull-like face, a human-like look of triumph appeared.
"Idiot."
Cold mockery.
Satoru's empty right hand rested at his shoulder, the starting stance of a Sword Skill. Without a weapon, it should have been impossible to execute.
But in the blink of an eye, a jet-black straight sword appeared in his hand, replacing the curved blade.
Quick Change. Forged Blade.
Sonic Leap!!
Satoru passed through Baran.
One second later, the dark minotaur shattered into countless fragments.
Using Sword Skills while stunned was extremely difficult, but if the system judged it as successful, it could still be executed even under paralysis. At that moment, it was not he who was fighting, it was the system fighting for him.
Study the system. Exploit the system. Until it is overturned.
Baran's hammer strike had always been within expectations. His curved sword skills were already exhausted, and the final stance had been prepared for the straight sword's Sonic Leap from the beginning. Even if the curved sword had not been forcibly dropped, he would have switched anyway.
The entire process was a script.
He was the director.
Once victory was certain, all he needed to do was step into the role of an actor and carry it out.
It had always been this way. Step by step, this was how he climbed upward.
The two-second stiffness ended.
Satoru completed Sonic Leap and regained control. He landed lightly and turned around.
From start to finish, it was as if the debuff had never affected him. Aside from the minor damage from the area attack, he emerged completely unscathed after killing Baran.
Satoru looked at the shattered remains of Baran.
Without expression, he dismissed the EXP notification window that appeared.