Sword Art Online - Alternative Reality

The 50th Floor CHP. 9

"Ha...ha...this game...has really got it out for me...huh...ha..."

Using the new sword I got as a support, I slowly rose off my knees as I tried to shake away the numbing sensation that was going through my entire body. I had barely managed to lift the sword into a two-handed block, but my HP had dropped into the red as a result of the impact I took, alongside me getting slammed into the wall, again. The dust was slowly starting to settle, but I still couldn't see if the boss was prepping another swipe, so I started reaching into my pouch for a healing crystal when the dust parted towards my right side.

Shit, that's way too fas-

Before I could raise my sword to try and defend, I was instead assaulted by an entirely different sensation, one far too familiar and warm, my HP recovering back to full as she somehow found the time to use a crystal during her dash.

"Asuna..."

She was clutching onto me, the strength in her arms completely trapping me in her embrace, not that I was in the mood to pull away.

"I really thought you died this time..."

"Haha, if you had hugged me this hard before healing me, I probably would have."

Finally pulling back as she glared at me with an adorable expression on her face, I wanted to enjoy our small moment of reprieve, but the explosive sounds of the boss assaulting our tanks broke us out of our break, as we turned to face it.

"Looks like you really pissed it off this time..."

"Yeah, it seems like I have the ability to really grind their gears."

"Seriously? Now?"

"Well, not like I'm gonna get the chance to use that one later...so, what's the situation with your group?"

"We all made it through after breaking through 8 mini bosses that were keeping the door locked. Everyone is focusing on getting the injured out and taking on the boss's agro...what about you guys?"

Shaking my head, that was all she needed to figure out that the worst-case scenario had occurred, but she still kept a brave look on her face as I went into detail.

"We're down to 34 people, most of them teleported away in a panic, but at least 3..."

With a massive explosion, we looked over as the combined tank forces were pushed back by a combined breath attack from the boss. It looked like everyone was still exchanging information as they began to counterattack, managing to do some proper damage. Still, we were scattered throughout the boss room, and it was gonna take a lot more to prevent any further casualties. But, now we had a way out...maybe-

"Kirito."

Looking back towards her, I saw that she was struggling with the same thoughts I was. The desire to leave, to get out of here, to abandon it all. But unlike me, she had a strength in her eyes that said she would fight like she always did. And if that was the case-

"Yeah...come on, we can't let them have all the fun!"

Managing the best smile of confidence I could pull off, she returned a reassuring smile as we both set up to charge. The sword's weight in my right hand was still leagues above what I was used to, it felt just a tad bit lighter. With one of my swords practically destroyed and the other one sent somewhere in the void, it was time to see what this one could do. With a glance at one another, we nodded and dashed towards the right side of the boss that was still sparking after the explosion from earlier, while HC dealt with the full health left side.

I wish I could say the battle went smoothly from there on, but despite Asuna and I keeping the 3 arms on the right preoccupied while HC dealt with the ones on the left, the 50th-floor boss wasn't a being that was gonna go down without a fight. With our attacks doing damage now, the boss's back horse-shoe attachment spiked out as it connected with the broken pillars, forming long whip-like tendrils that unleashed a series of assaults against the rest of the group. Combined with the breath attacks and the randomly flying makeshift battering rams, the entire arena was covered in complete chaos. And that wasn't the worst part.