Solo (A Sword Art Online Fanfic) ✔

Chapter Eighteen

I didn't do anything at first.

I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do.

The wolves raced forward, fighting the boss's wolves. They clashed together until I couldn't even tell which wolf was on which side.

The boss was pacing on the opposite side of the room, it's eyes glued on me. I gripped my scythe. I could hear banging on the door from the outside as people desperately tried to get in.

I stalked forward, the sea of wolves parting to make way for me. It seemed universally known to them that I was the only one to touch the boss and vice versa.

The boss matched my every move, walking when I walked, changing directions when I did. It was like watching a mirror, if I had been a massive evil wolf.

I gripped my scythe tighter and made the first move.

I leaped forward, swinging my scythe in the direction of its neck, but it turned at the right moment, and my blow hit it's shoulder instead.

It returned my blow with a swipe of its claws, which I quickly dodged. I swung my scythe upwards and knicked the bottom of its chin, but the swing cost me. The wolf swiped his paw across, and hit my thigh, leaving claw marks the size of my forearm.

I leaped out of bounds, crouching low, ready to counter any attack it threw at me.

It had strength on its side, but I was obviously more agile and fast. It was an oddly fair match. I had to use logic if I was ever going to win this.

And the only choice was to win.

This time, the wolf attacked first, lunging at me with snapping jaws. I leaped to the side, swinging my scythe up at the same time. It embedded itself in the wolf's flank. The wolf twisted, yanking the scythe out of my hand.

I cursed, leaping out of the way as I watched my weapon land a couple of feet behind the wolf. I bounced on the balls of my feet, trying to come up with a game plan.

The wolf, however, didn't give me a chance, and lunged forward again. With no other choice, I leaped directly at it, twisting upwards at the last seconds. I sailed over its head, and I couldn't help but throw a punch at its ears.

The punch dazed the beast, giving me a minute to race to my scythe and pick it up. With it back in my grasp, the wolf went back on the defensive, crouching low and keeping all of its vulnerable parts away from me.

As the battle raged viciously around me, I tried to remember all of the weaknesses of a wolf, making sure to keep an eye on the boss.

Kuro hates it when I touch his ears.

Gurē doesn't like anything near his belly.

Their necks are soft and squishy, which makes it an excellent kill zone if you can reach it.

I grinned, thanking god once again for the gift of Kuro and Gurē. I scrutinized the boss, thinking of a new battle strategy, focusing on its ears, belly, and neck.

I crouched low, copying the wolf's position. It needed to know who was Alpha here.

I bared my teeth at it, knowing quite well how ridiculous I looked. It worked, however, in provoking the beast, because the next thing I know, it's lunging forward once more.

I dropped my scythe, leaping up and over its head. I made sure to grab and twist it's ears as I swung back around. It yowled in pain, and while it was still dazed, I grabbed my scythe and ran under it, dragging my blade down its skin.

I got to cocky, however, and when I came out from under it, I was caught unawares by the giant mouth coming at me. It latched onto my shoulder, dragging me away from its body and flinging me against the wall.

I sunk to the floor in pain, but, knowing I was in a vulnerable position, I whipped my scythe up in the air, warning the beast away.

The bite on my shoulder wasn't as bad as I thought, and I could still move my left arm with only moderate pain. I leaped to my feet, swinging my scythe up like a bat, just in time to hit the beast as it lunged.

While it was stunned, I jumped into the air, hovering over it for a moment before dropping onto it's back, slamming my blade in its shoulder blade.

It howled, shaking me off. I landed on the floor harshly, skidding a few feet before coming to a stop. When I looked up, the beast was hovering over me, gleaming teeth right in my face.

It seemed to be gloating, and didn't notice as I swung my blade up. It yowled, ripping away from me, my scythe still embedded in its next. I jumped to my feet, racing straight towards it. It saw me coming and went to make a counter attack, but I faked left before going under it.

Grabbing the handle of my scythe, I leaped up and around, dragging the scythe, which was still imbedded in its neck, along with me.

I dropped to the ground a couple of feet away, my scythe held out above me.

Everything froze for a second. Nothing moved, not even the fighting surrounding us.

Then the head of the boss rolled to the ground, bouncing a couple of feet before shattering into a billion shards with the rest of the body.

The remaining minions shattered too, following after its deceased Alpha.

The victory message shown above us, streaming confetti. As I stood up, a dropped item was offered.

The Wolf Lord's Heart

It raised my strength and durability by a tenfold, making me gasp in shock. I quickly equipped it. It appeared on my body in the shape of a chain around my waist, a blood red jewel dangling right below my belly button.

I sighed, completely exhausted from the battle. I looked around at what was left of the wolves, pleased to see we didn't lose much.

Kuro and Gurē bounded out of the crowd, rushing over to me. They quickly gave me a once over, brushing their noses against my skin, trying to check the damage done to me.

After reassuring themselves I would live, they stepped back, howling into the air. One by one, every wolf joined them, pleased by their victory.

I grinned, reaching down to pat their heads.

"Come on, boys. I think we've earned a long vacation, don't you think?"

As I made my way towards the door, I was brushed my the noses of nearby wolves, seemingly congratulating me. When I reached the door, I had to pause to take a deep breath.

I knew I would be getting lectured as soon as those doors opened, and I needed a minute to collect myself.

When I was ready, I shoved open the doors. The wolves raced by me, eager to get back to their homes. When it was only me and my boys left over, I looked up, meeting the faces of the shocked players.

It took me a moment before I realized there were more of them.

Specifically more of them that I recognized.