(December 2nd, 2022)
It has already been nearly a full month since the beginning of the death known as Sword Art Online. Ever since then, many of the players have been trying to work very hard on making themselves get stronger in order to clear the game, while others decided it would be better to try to live peacefully without running into danger.
During this monthly time period, two thousand out of the ten thousand players that were stuck in SAO have come to an abrupt and tragic end. Some of the players died from bad luck while others died from utter recklessness.
And during this monthly time period, both Kirito and Cloud have both been working very hard on getting stronger while also being careful with themselves and not doing anything stupid. During their first quest together, Kirito was able to get a new sword called the Anneal Blade which increased his strength stats plus five. Kirito said that his new sword should do him well up until Floor Four.
While Kirito and Cloud were on the quest in order to get Kirito's new sword, they met a player by the name of Coper, who was also a beta tester. Kirito and Cloud thought that Coper was just willing to help them both get Kirito's sword, but along the way, they came to figure out that Coper was actually going to kill them both and complete the quest on his own to get the sword for himself.
Coper tried to lure Kirito and Cloud into a trap full of monstrous plants that they were not yet strong enough to face. However, luckily, Kirito was able to figure out Coper's plan and turn the tables, causing Coper to be killed by the monstrous plants instead of him and Cloud.
It was from that point on that it became clear to both Kirito and Cloud that they have to be careful with who they put their trust into while playing this death game, because not everyone is willing to cooperate with each other until the end. Some are willing to stab you in the back if it means getting stronger and staying alive.
Kirito and Cloud have also done some levelling up for the past monthly period. Kirito was now at Level Ten while Cloud was at Level Eleven. Kirito and Cloud also made sure to upgrade their armour stats from leather armour to simple steel chest plates. They also swapped from the simple brown fingerless gloves to black fingerless gloves with small steel plates on them and swapped out their brown boots with black ones.
Kirito and Cloud also decided to share some information on each other's lives back in the real world. Cloud learned that Kirito's mother, father, and little sister were actually his aunt, uncle, and cousin. Kirito told Cloud about how he was raised by his aunt and uncle along with his cousin since they were babies. He even said how he came from a family that was traditioned for any and all family members to learn Kendo, so both Kirito and his cousin were made to start learning and training at the local dojo at the age of eight.
However, at the age of ten, when Kirito got his first computer, he discovered the truth about his parentage and that his real parents died in a car accident from an old erased record file he found on the internet. This caused Kirito to go into a huge state of depression and confusion to the point where he didn't want to go to Kendo classes anymore. This got him a heavy beating from his grandfather. But that was also when his cousin stood up for Kirito and promised their grandfather that she would train extra hard for the both of them. Since then, Kirito's cousin held onto her word and worked harder than she ever did before. She even made it to the nationals Kendo tournament.
Kirito sadly admitted to Cloud that he felt like he caused a huge burden on his cousin for letting his depression and confusion get in the way of him continuing to practice Kendo and making her train even harder, that he began to distance himself from her because he believed that she didn't think too well of him anymore. Kirito even told Cloud that his cousin's name was Suguha.
Cloud told Kirito that he highly doubted that Suguha would hate Kirito if she was still continuing to work really hard for both of them. He told Kirito that he thinks that no matter what happened in the past, his Cousin most likely still loves him and that she probably even loves doing Kendo. This really helped feel Kirito feel a bit better after admitting to Cloud what happened.
It was now Kirito's turn to listen to Cloud's life story. Cloud told Kirito about how when he was only nine years old when his father committed murder against an innocent woman, causing Cloud to live the past five years with his mother, his brother, and his two sisters. Cloud told Kirito the names of his siblings. There was Jumpei, who was Cloud's older brother, his older sister, Serena, and his twin sister, Emera.
Cloud decided to first tell Kirito a bit of his older sister, Serena. He told Kirito that Serena was an incredibly intelligent young woman with incredible study skills and habits. She really enjoys reading books and studying up on Japanese history. He said that she aims to use everything she learns to become a professor in Japanese history. Cloud even mentioned that Serena was currently in a romantic relationship with a Japanese Air Force soldier.
Cloud then started to talk about Jumpei. He said that ever since his very early childhood, videogames have always been a really big part of Jumpei's life. Jumpei always found more enjoyment in playing videogames and playing with other people than he ever did with trying to find a career that would be suitable for him. He said that Jumpei just wanted a simple life where he could have a good job to make a good living and just simply be free to play his video games.
Cloud then went on to talk about Emera, saying how she had a real taste in playing the piano. He said that Emera had been learning how to play the piano ever since they were both ten years old. Cloud admitted that the piano was his favourite instrument next to the guitar, and he said that the sound of the piano being played has always sounded like something that could only be described as "Heavenly". Cloud said Emera aimed to become a worldwide known piano player.
And Cloud went on to talk a little bit about himself. Cloud told Kirito that he always had a taste for the performing arts. Ever since he had his first Drama class in when he was ten, Cloud had grown to really love putting on performances for everyone to see and enjoy. Cloud said that earlier this year, after his last performance in his Drama class, Cloud officially decided that he wanted to become a performer in the future.
Cloud even mentioned that he had been currently taking Karate classes for two whole years now and that his class was currently learning the basics of fighting with a sword. This made Cloud become really interested in the use of a blade which brought him to ask his sensei about all the different types of sword fighting styles. His sensei taught him a lot about the basics of different styles of Asian sword fighting and a lot about the different types of swords from all around Asia.
The fact that Cloud knew so much about the basics of different Asian sword fighting styles and swords really intrigued Kirito.
Throughout this whole monthly period, while players were working on getting stronger, not a single player was able to locate the Floor One Boss's room within the Labyrinth. Even though Kirito used to be a beta tester, he had a really hard time locating the boss's hideout. But that was until just a couple of days ago, where a group of players were making their way through the remains of the Labyrinth and have finally found the giant door that leads straight to the boss. And today, there was a gathering being held for those who were interested in discussing and figuring out how they were going to defeat the boss and advance to Floor Two.
Kirito and Cloud both agreed to each other that they should attend this gathering since it meant a lot to the both of them to clear the game and return home to those they care about more than anything.
When they both arrived at the gathering, it was what looked like a little theatre stage used for live performances, which was actually much to Cloud's pleasure. There were rows of stone seats surrounding the front of the stage. Kirito and Cloud sat down on the back row of the stone seats on the first row on the right side.
Much to Cloud's surprise, about only thirty people were attending this gathering.
"Strange, I was honestly picturing there to be about a couple of hundred players here." Cloud said as he looked around at all of the people taking their seats
"Perhaps there are only very few players who are actually brave enough to try to face the boss." Kirito suggested as he looked down at the stage
After a few minutes, a player stepped out onto the stage.
The player had long bright blue hair blue eyes, a long blue shirt with thin yellow stripes, white pants, and dark brown boots. He also had a set of bronze armour complete with a bronze chest plate, bronze shoulder guards, bronze bracers, and bronze shin guards. He also had a one-handed sword attached to his hip and a steel shield with a sword symbol on it on his back.
The blue-haired player clapped his hands together loudly to get the attention of everyone who was already there.
"Okay, everybody, let's go ahead and get this meeting started!" The blue-haired player called out with a warm welcoming smile on his face "First of all, my name is Diavel and I'd like to thank everyone here who was able to attend. It's very good to see you all."
Diavel paused for a few seconds before his smile turned into a more serious look.
"As I'm sure you are all aware, a couple of days ago, me and my party have finally located the boss room in the Labyrinth." Diavel announced in a serious tone "Now I understand that some of you may be feeling discouraged and doubtful because two thousand of us have already died in just nearly a full month, but that's the main reason as to why I'm standing in front of all of you today. I want to tell you all that because of your hard work and the fact that you all have survived this long, that it is possible to beat this game. That's why we are all here today, to discuss and strategize a plan for defeating the boss and advancing to the next floor. It is our duty as the most capable players here. Do you all agree?"
The small crowd stayed silent for a while, but as they all talked amongst themselves, they all grew to really approve and appreciate Diavel's optimism and gave a round of applause and a few whistles for him. Diavel smiled again.
"Wonderful! Glad to know you're all with me on this." Diavel said "Now then, let's get down to business. I've already thought long and hard about we will deal with fighting the boss. First off, we'll team up into parties of six. A single typical party doesn't stand a chance against a floor boss, that's why we need a raid group made up of multiple parties. Everyone, find some players to group up with."
While everyone was forming up their parties, Kirito and Cloud have already formed a party with each other. However, unfortunately for them, everyone else seemed to have already been partied up together, leaving just the two of them.
Kirito looked around to see if anyone hadn't already been partied up with anyone else yet. He looked over to his right and saw just one player sitting quite far away from him, Cloud, and everyone else.
The player was covered in a simple red cloak with a hood covering their face. The player was also noticeably wearing a pair of tight white leather pants and red knee-length boots, while also carrying a rapier sword, showing that the player specialized in fencing.
Kirito tapped on Cloud's shoulder, getting his attention. Kirito then motioned himself over to the hooded player with Cloud following behind him.
"So, I guess you got left out too, huh?" Kirito asked the hooded player
"...Not even." The hooded player responded in a feminine voice, revealing the player to be a girl "I wasn't left out. It's just that everyone here seems like they're already friends."
"Oh, so you're a solo player." Kirito said before continuing "You wanna be part of me and Cloud's party?"
The hooded girl slightly motioned her head at Kirito's direction, as if she was wondering why Kirito would ask her that kind of question.
"You heard what Diavel said." Cloud spoke up "Nobody here can beat the boss on their own. We need as many parties as we can get if we want to win. Even though we'd be just a party of three, we should still be enough for at least defence. Plus, it'll be just for this boss fight."
The hooded girl remained silent and motionless for a few seconds, but she then nodded her head in agreement. Kirito then sent a request to the girl to join his and Cloud's party, and she pressed the accept button. In Kirito and Cloud's party lists, a brand-new name appeared at the very bottom. The hooded girl's name appeared to be Asuna.
"Asuna..." Kirito and Cloud both whispered under their breath
"Alright, looks like everyone's teamed up!" Diavel announced, regaining the attention of all the players "Right, now then- "
"Hold up a second!" A voice called from the top of the stone seats
Everyone looked up behind them to see where the voice was coming from. Standing on top of the stone seats was a male player with orange cactus-like hair, brown eyes, and a sienna goatee. The player was wearing a metal armour chest plate which in the style of scales, a bright grey long-sleeved shirt underneath, bright brown pants, and dark brown leopard-like printed boots. He also carried a big one-handed sword on his back, much like Kirito.
The orange-haired player leapt from stone seat to stone seat, making his way down to the center of the stage. When he made it there, he turned to all of the players looking at him.
"My name's Kibaou, you all got that?" The player said addressing himself as Kibaou "Before we take on the boss, there's something that I strongly believe needs to be addressed. We all know about the two thousand players who have died so far, yeah?"
Kibaou then pointed his right index finger at the other players with a look of serious disdain in his eyes.
"Well, you lowlife losers need to apologize to them and everyone here right now!" Kibaou demanded, causing everyone to talk amongst themselves in confusion
"Kibaou..." Diavel spoke up "I think I know who you're referring to. You're talking about the former beta testers, right?"
"Of course, I mean them." Kibaou confirmed Diavel's question "The very moment this stupid ass death game started, the beta testers just up and vanished. They completely abandoned all of us beginners. They just decided to snag all the good hunting spots and grab all of the easy quests too. This whole time they were the only ones getting stronger and leaving us to remain weak and unable to fight for ourselves. This whole time they've ignored us like we don't mean anything. And I know for a fact that some of them are here right now. Show yourselves, you beta losers! You better apologize to all of us and give us all the money and items you have! You cannot ever expect the party to trust anyone you when you don't trust us! You don't deserve our trust!"
Cloud was now starting to feel a serious disdain for Kibaou right now. For this guy to have the nerve to call out the beta testers like they are nothing more than a bunch of selfish thieves just made Cloud mad, knowing that Kirito was a beta tester and he was more than willing to help out Cloud when he needed it. Not to mention, he also felt like Kibaou was badmouthing his older brother. Cloud was now glaring daggers at Kibaou while gritting his teeth tightly and clenching his fists.
"Who does this punk think he is?" Cloud said quietly and roughly as he started to stand up "I should go down there and punch some sense into him."
"Cloud, no." Kirito said as he quickly grabbed hold of Cloud's wrist, stopping him from completely standing up
Cloud slowly sat back down while glaring madly at Kibaou.
"Can I say something?" a voice came from the bottom of the stone seats
Cloud, Kirito, and everyone else looked towards the voice to see someone standing up from their seat and walking up to Kibaou. This person was a tall and muscular black man with a bald head, brown eyes, and a thick goatee. He also had two silver earrings on his left ear. He was wearing a simple white and dark brown jumpsuit, leather armour over his chest, dark brown fingerless gloves and bracers, and bright brown boots with white fur on the tops. He was also carrying a big battle axe on his back.
"Who the hell are you?" Kibaou rudely asked the tall man
"I am known by many names. Some call me Mountain Slayer, Thunder Lion, or the Chocolate Axe. But you, you may call me..." The tall man said as he then paused for a few seconds to build up some suspense at to what his name was "...Agil."
Kibaou just simply stood there in silence without making any response.
"Anyway, I want to make sure I'm understanding what you're saying. You say that the former beta testers are responsible for the deaths of all those beginners because they didn't help them, and you want them to apologize and give up all their earnings. Did I leave anything out?" Agil asked
"No, you didn't." Kibaou confirmed
Agil then reached into a pocket pouch on his left hip and pulled out a little brown book.
"A group of people still hands these out for free. It's a guidebook. You got one, didn't you?" Agil asked
"Yeah, I got one." Kibaou answered "What about it?"
"You know who that group of people was that was handing these out? The former beta testers." Agil said causing some gasps and more chatter among the rest of the players
Kibaou gritted his teeth and hissed while Cloud was smirking down on him. Cloud was really glad that someone like Agil was standing up for the beta testers. Agil turned around to look at the rest of the players.
"listen up!" Agil announced "Everyone had equal access to this information, and even so, a lot of players still died. Now I didn't come here to be pointing fingers at anyone, I'm here because I want to learn from those players deaths. I'm here because I want to be able to figure out how we're going to properly work together to defeat the boss, move to the next floor, and continue pressing on to clear this game."
Kirito and Cloud both grew a new admiration towards Agil. They both really appreciated how smart Agil was since he used the deaths of the two thousand players as a lesson for what to do and what not to do in the future when trying to clear the game, and how he wasn't just using their deaths as an excuse to shame anybody.
Kibaou, now with nothing left to say and with no way of continuing his argument, moved over to one of the lower seats and sat down. Agil did the same thing and returned to his own seat.
"Okay, are we all good? Can we get back to the meeting now?" Diavel asked
Everyone remained silent, confirming that Diavel was now free to continue with the plan. Diavel said as he then pulled out his own copy of the guidebook
"For info on the boss, it's all in here. The latest of the guidebook that Agil was telling us about." Diavel said as he opened up his guidebook "According to the book, the boss's name is Illfang The Kobold Lord. It also says that during the fight, he will be surrounded by his minions: The Ruin Kobold Sentinels. Illfang will be carrying both an axe and a buckler. He has a total of four health meters. Once he's down to his last health meter, we will swap out his axe and buckler with a long curved-like sword called a Talwar. He can also change the patterns of his attacks."
Many of the other players talked amongst themselves as Diavel then closed up his guidebook.
"That's it for the briefing." Diavel announced "As for the distribution of loot, money will be divided equally among everyone. The party that defeats the boss gets the experience points, and whoever gets a bonus item gets to keep it. Are there any objections?"
Diavel waited for anyone in the crowd to saying something, but everyone just simply shook their heads letting him know they had nothing to say.
"Very well then." Diavel continued "Everyone is to meet up with me at the Labyrinth tomorrow at 10:00. On our way to the boss room, we will be discussing the names of each party and their jobs during the boss fight. And with that, this meeting is over. Get some good night's sleep, everyone, tomorrow's fight will decide our fate."
As many of the other players were either leaving the theatre area or going down to talk some more with Diavel, Kirito watched as Asuna got up and just simply walked away. Cloud watched as Kibaou walked over to Diavel and seemingly apologized for making an ass of himself earlier, to which Diavel seemed quite easy to forgive. Cloud, however, didn't quite feel the need to forgive him so easily.
As nighttime came along, most of the meeting attendants were still hanging out with Diavel, most likely to get early advice and strategies of how to fight against Illfang or probably just to simply hang out and have fun before the big fight tomorrow.
Kirito and Cloud walked through the streets of the town after getting some freshly made honey buns for dinner. While they walked, Cloud thought of something that started to really concern him.
"Hey, Kirito..." Cloud said "...Do you think we'll actually win tomorrow?"
"Hmm?" Kirito said as he motioned his head over to Cloud "Where's that coming from?"
"We've been super careful as to make sure we're getting as strong as we possibly can and making sure we don't do anything reckless to get ourselves killed for nearly a full month already, but that was just because we fought a bunch of normal enemies. What if the boss is too much for us to handle?" Cloud asked
Kirito placed a hand on Cloud's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry about it." Kirito said confidently "I'm Level Ten and you're Level Eleven. I think we're both strong enough to do a good job against the boss tomorrow. Besides, it's not like we're going in alone. We're going in with about 30 other players. We'll definitely win tomorrow."
"I hope so..." Cloud said
As Kirito and Cloud continued walking down the road, they noticed someone sitting on a set of stone steps. The figure that they were both looking at was the hooded player, Asuna. As they walked up to her, they noticed that she herself was also enjoying a freshly made honey bun.
"So, you like honey buns too, huh?" Kirito asked causing Asuna to slightly turn her head towards him and Cloud "They're really good if I do say so myself. Do you mind if we sit down with you?"
Asuna remained silent, but she scooted over to the left to give Kirito and Cloud some room to sit. Once they were seated, Kirito and Cloud opened up their menus and took out their own honey buns.
"You really think these taste good?" Asuna asked quietly
"Yeah, they are awesome." Cloud answered, "Ever since we arrived at this town, we both ended up eating at least one per day."
"We've even got a trick to make them taste better." Kirito added as he then opened his menu back up to get something else
Once Kirito chose the item he was looking for, he held out his hand and a little bright brown jar with a white stripe around the middle fell into it. Kirito placed the jar in between him and Asuna.
"Try it with some of that." Kirito suggested
Asuna placed the tip of her index fixer on the top of the jar and a glowing sphere surrounded her finger. She then moved her finger over to the honey bun and moved her finger downwards over the honey bun. When the light around her finger died down, it revealed what looked like thick yellow melted cream.
"...Cream?" Asuna asked rhetorically
Asuna then watched as both Kirito and Cloud put the cream onto their own honeybuns just before the jar shattered in tiny pieces and disappeared. She watched as they both took a bite of their food, they both swooned in delight making Asuna believe that it must be as good as they say it is.
Asuna looked down at her own honey bun before taking her first real bite of it. Kirito and Cloud watched her, waiting to see what she thought about it. For a while, she did nothing but sit there after taking her first bite. But then, much to their surprise, Asuna started stuffing her face with it like there was no tomorrow. Kirito and Cloud smiled in amusement.
"Cloud got that cream from doing the Heifer Strikes Back quest. That quest is located in the village before you come to this one." Kirito said, "If you wanna try and get the cream for yourself, I'm sure Cloud would like to tell you how."
Asuna shook her head.
"No thank you." Asuna said, "I appreciate the offer, but I didn't come all the way to this town just to eat anything tasty."
"Well then why are you here?" Cloud asked
"So I remain to be exactly who I am." Asuna explained "I refuse to let myself become a coward and lock myself in an inn and slowly rot away til my last dying breath. I wanna remain the way I am. Even if I am defeated by a monster and die, I will not lose myself to this game."
Kirito was now starting to grow a good form of respect for Asuna right now. He really liked how she was wasn't so afraid of the dangers that laid ahead of her and she was willing to face them no matter what. Although, Cloud was still a bit confused by what Asuna meant and felt the need to get a clarification.
"If you don't mind me asking, who exactly are you?" Cloud asked
"...I'm just a girl who wants nothing more than to clear this game and get back home or die trying." Asuna answered
"Oh, I see." Cloud said now getting a better picture
Kirito took a small bite of his honey bun before speaking up.
"Yeah, well, I don't want to have a party member dying on me. So at least make sure to make through tomorrow." Kirito said as Asuna nodded in agreement
"What about you guys? Why did you come all the way to this town?" Asuna asked
"...Well, our reasons really aren't that different from yours." Kirito answered before continuing "I'm doing everything I can to make sure that me and Cloud can get out of this game because I refuse to let us remain as Kayaba's prisoners. There's no way I'm going to let him control my life."
"As for me, I have to get as strong as I can possibly get and be as smart as I can possibly be in order to get out of this game and return to my family." Cloud said before continuing "I refuse to allow myself to just die and break the hearts of my mother, my brother, and my sisters. I'm going to return home to the people I love, no matter what."
Just like Kirito, Asuna began to grow a big admiration towards Cloud's motives. He wasn't fighting to clear the game to prove himself not Kayaba's prisoner or to hold onto a big part of himself, he was fighting because he had a group of loved ones in the real world to go back to. Asuna ended up giving a small smile.
"That's an admirable motive." Asuna complimented "I hope you do return home to your family."
"I hope we can all return to our families." Cloud said as he looked up at the nighttime sky
The next day had arrived and everyone that attended the boss fight meeting all met up with Diavel at the Labyrinth. As all of the party members made their way through the many floors of the Labyrinth, Diavel started giving squad names to each party in the raid group. Those who were in Squads A and C were responsible for offensive attacks against the boss, while those who were in Squad B were responsible for defence. Those who were in Squads D, E, and F were responsible for taking care of the Ruin Kobold Sentinels. Since Kirito, Cloud, and Asuna were only a party of three, they were declared as Squad F.
While they all continued making their way to the boss room, Kirito, Cloud, and Asuna all worked on making a strategy with how to deal with the Sentinels. Kirito suggested that he and Asuna perform a simple tactic where one player uses a sword skill to defect the enemy's attack, knocking them off balance, while the other player switches in for the attack on the enemy. All Cloud would have to worry about is keeping as many other Sentinels off of Kirito and Asuna and anybody in Squads A, B, and C as possible.
After long flights of stair climbing, they all finally reached their destination. The boss room. The doors to the boss room were about twelve feet tall and nine feet wide, and right next to each door was a giant cauldron with a big flame over it. Diavel halted just in front of the doors, making everyone behind him stop in place too. Diavel turned around to look at all of his raid members with a confident smile.
"Listen up, everyone. Before we press on, I have just one thing to say." Diavel said as he drew his sword and raised it high in the air before continuing "No matter what happens to any of us today, let's achieve a glorious victory!"
Most of everyone returned Diavel's confident smile with their own. Diavel turned back around to face the doors, placed his left hand in the dead center of the two doors and pushed them open.
The inside of the room was really dark as far as everyone could see, but it also looked like it was very wide on the inside too. But what could really be seen from within the room at the very end were a pair of two glowing red specs. Diavel and the others slowly made their way inside of the boss room, but once they were all about five meters inside of the room, the entire room started to light up with what looked like an endless series of real colourful printings on the walls, the ceiling, and the floor. Much to everyone's surprise, the boss room was much bigger than they originally thought it was. The room was about twenty meters wide and a hundred meters deep.
But what was even more surprising to everyone was that the two glowing red specs at the end of the room were not specs. They were actually two glowing bloodthirsty eyes from the big bad himself.
Illfang The Kobold Lord looked like a creature that was rather difficult to put into words. The best way that anyone could describe him was that he looked like a combination of giant red-furred muscular troll with what looked like the head of a vicious dog, rabbit ears, and a salamander tail. It wore a big purple-coloured steel helmet that covered most of its face except its eyes and mouth, a green leather neck guard covering its neck, green leather bracers, and green leather knee pads with shin guards. It also wore a set of blue, purple, and white clothes that resembled much of an esteemed tribesman, with a doubled diamond marking on its stomach.
Illfang leapt its way from the very end of the room over to the middle of it. It held up its axe and its buckler up high as it released a loud and powerful roar and its name appeared right above the red curser above his head. Four health meters appeared right next to it as its minions, The Ruin Kobold Sentinels, all teleported right in front of it as their names and health meters appeared. The Sentinels looked like smaller versions of Illfang, except they were all completely covered in metal armour from their head to their toes, and their weapons were big two-handed maces. Illfang and its minions began running towards Diavel and the rest of the raid group.
"Everyone! Commence attack!" Diavel cried out as he held his sword out in front of him
Everyone rushed head-on into battel with Squads A, B, and C on the front lines, Diavel in the middle, and Squads D, E, and F in the back. Squad B quickly fought their way past the Sentinels and made their way in front of Illfang. Diavel, along with Squads A and C also did their part and quickly fought past the Sentinels, leaving Squads D, E, and F to deal with them. Illfang swung its axe down at the defence squad, but they all used their own sword skills to deflect Illfang's attack.
"Squads A and C, switch in!" Diavel commanded
Squad B moved back out of range while Squads A and C all went in for the offence. Each one of them performed their own sword skills against Illfang and the combined power of their attacks managed to bring down one-eighth of its first health meter. Once Illfang regained its composer, it was back on the offensive.
"Here he comes!" Diavel cried "Squad B, block!"
Squad B listened to Diavel's command and moved in for the defence while Squads A and C fell back.
"Squad C, keep guarding and prepare to switch. Everyone else, when you fall back, regroup and flank him!" Diavel ordered as he then turned towards the other squads "Squads D, E, and F, keep those minions off us!"
"Understood." Kirito responded as he, Cloud, and Asuna got into position "Alright, guys, just like we planned. Cloud, remember, you just focus on keeping the Sentinels off of us and everyone else while we switch off after each attack and go in for the kill."
"You got it." Cloud replied
One of the Sentinels came running up to them. Kirito drew his sword and ran up to the Sentinel. The Sentinel swung it's mace down at Kirito, but Kirito activated one of his sword skills to deflect his enemy's attack and knock it off balance.
"Switch!" Kirito cried out to Asuna
"I'm on it." Asuna responded as she quickly drew her rapier and rushed passed Kirito
Kirito and Cloud watched in amazement at how quickly Asuna could move. They watched as she so gracefully thrusted her weapon into the weak spot of the Sentinel, the neck, and instantly killed it.
"Wow..." Kirito said nearly speechless "...I thought she was just a rookie, but her technique is flawless. She moves so fast and I can't even see the tip of her sword."
Cloud found himself very impressed with Asuna's fighting style and smirked.
"Right on, girl." Cloud said
Cloud then noticed another Sentinel about to attack Asuna. He quickly jumped into action and ran over to Asuna with his greatsword drawn. As the Sentinel swung its mace at Asuna, Cloud swung his greatsword upwards, knocking the enemy's weapon out of the way. Asuna recognized this and once again used her rapier to attack the Sentinel's neck and instantly kill it.
"Thanks for that, Cloud." Asuna said smiling
"No need to thank me, just doing my part." Cloud responded
For the past five minutes, everything was going according to plan. Squads A and C were all successfully and safely attacking the boss while Squad B were all blocking whenever Illfang would through another attack at them. And Kirito, Cloud, Asuna, and the other backup squads were all successful at taking care of the Sentinels and keeping all of the squads on the front lines safe. And now, it was all down to the last phase. With Illfang now on its very last health meter, it threw its axe and buckler away.
"Looks like the guidebook was right." Kibaou said with a smirk
Suddenly, Diavel ran up to the front lines in front of everyone.
"Everyone stand back. Allow me to finish him off." Diavel said
Kirito and Cloud looked over at Diavel in surprise at his actions.
"What's he doing? Why is he fighting the boss all alone now?" Cloud asked
"I don't know. I thought the plan was for everyone in the group to surround the boss when it goes into it's next phase." Kirito responded
Everyone watched as Diavel got into a fighting stance and started to activate his sword skill, preparing to fight Illfang. But both Kirito and Cloud then noticed something unexpectedly horrifying.
The new weapon that Illfang pulled out was not a Talwar as described in the guidebook, it was a No-Dachi.
"Oh no!" Kirito quickly said under his breath "This is completely completely different from the beta test."
Cloud knew how much more dangerous a No-Dachi was in comparison to a Talwar because of what his sensei had taught him about the two swords. Cloud knew that a Talwar was an Indian sword many used by cavalrymen in battle while a No-Dachi was a Japanese sword used for fighting on horseback. In short, a No-Dachi is longer than a Talwar so it has more reach and does more damage.
"Diavel! Get out of there!" Cloud cried over to Diavel, but Diavel didn't seem to hear him
Illfang suddenly leapt off of the ground, onto one of the pillars inside of the room. Itts then leapt right off the pillar and officially began bouncing all around Diavel's space.
"Hurry!" Cloud cried out again "Get out of his attack range, fast!"
Unfortunately, it was much too late for Diavel to get away from the boss. Illfang leapt down from the ceiling and slashed it's No-Dachi downwards, heavily striking Diavel in the chest.
Illfang wasted no time delivering another attack on Diavel. Illfang slashed upwards to the left, making Diavel go flying like a baseball. Everyone in the raid group watched in horror as their leader was so easily taken down by the boss.
"Diavel!" Kibaou cried out in horror
Diavel landed back on the floor, not to far from where Kirito, Cloud, and Asuna were. Kirito and Cloud ran over to Diavel's side and kneeled down next to him. Kirito held up Diavel's head and watched as his health meter was now in the read and was slowly depleting.
"Why the hell did you try to fight him alone? Why didn't you fall back when his weapon clearly wasn't a Talwar?" Kirito asked as Cloud opened up his menu and pulled out a health potion
Cloud tried to give the potion to Diavel, but Diavel pushed Kirito's hand away and looked up at Kirito.
"...You noticed it too, huh?..." Diavel asked quietly as his health continued to drop "...You noticed it wasn't the same as it was in the beta test...You were a beta tester too, right?...You should know why I went in alone..."
Kirito's eyes widened as he silently gasped.
"You were after the rare item, the one that's obtained from the last attack bonus." Kirito said before continuing "You were also a beta tester."
Diavel smiled weakly at Kirito.
"...As a beta tester, I knew about the rare item and what its capabilities were...I wanted to get as many rare items as I possibly could...so I could stronger, and...so that nobody else would have to risk their lives to get out of this game..." Diavel said silently as tears started to dwell up in his eyes "...But I've failed...I can't go on to protect anyone anymore..."
As tears now rolled down Diavel's cheeks, he looked at Kirito with pleading eyes.
"...Please..." Diavel said weakly "...You must defeat the boss...for everyone here."
At that very last second, the very last of Diavel's health had depleted. Diavel's body glowed a bright blue and shattered into many floating pieces. Kirito and Cloud sat there in devastation at the loss of their leader/comrade. It was equally devastating for both of them because they both truly admired how much stronger Diavel wanted to get just to prevent anyone else from needing to fight in order to get out of the game.
Ever since the death game started, Kirito could only think about how he and Cloud were going to make it out alive. Nothing else really mattered to him. But now he felt a huge responsibility to fulfil the dying wish of a player who was such a wonderful leader and thought about the lives of everyone in the game and wanted to do anything to keep them safe...And that's exactly what Kirito was going to do. He was going to what Diavel asked of him and defeat the boss.
Kirito stood up from the ground and turned around to look at where the boss was. Many of the other raid members were already fighting back against the boss while doing their best to keep themselves alive. Illfang's remaining health meter was now one-fifth empty. Kirito tightly clenched his left fist.
"Cloud..." Kirito started
"Yeah?" Cloud responded looking up at Kirito
Kirito looked back at Cloud with a whole lot of determination in his eyes
"...Let's finish him." Kirito finished
Cloud, seeing the determination in Cloud's eyes and hearing it in his voice, was now filled with the same determination. Cloud put the health potion back in his storage, stood up and walked up right next to Kirito.
"For Diavel." Cloud said as he then got into a stance
Suddenly, Kirito and Cloud noticed Asuna now standing on the other side of Kirito with her weapon in hand.
"I'll fight with you guys too." Asuna said as she took her own stance
Kirito nodded at Asuna's regulation and then got into a stance of his own.
"So, how do we fight him?" Asuna asked
"Your orders, leader, call it." Cloud said
"Okay..." Kirito said before continuing "We'll attack him just like we did with the minions."
Kirito looked over at Asuna.
"I'll first counter the boss's attack, you switch in and go for the attack."
"You've got it." Asuna replied
"And Cloud," Kirito said now looking at Cloud "You and I will switch off for defence each time she attacks."
"Understood." Cloud responded
The three of them rushed over to the boss as it just slashed back some of the other players. Illfang's focus then switched onto Kirito and it started to activate one of its sword skills. Kirito wasted no time to started up his own sword skill as he got closer to Illfang. Once Kirito was in Illfang's attack range, it slashed its weapon down while Kirito slashed his sword upwards, against the giant No-Dachi, forcing Illfang to lose balance.
"Switch!" Kirito cried out to Asuna
Asuna quickly rushed over to the boss with a sword skill ready. However, Illfang quickly regained its composer and slashed it's sword down at her.
"ASUNA!" Both Kirito and Cloud yelled out loudly
Fortunately, the sword did not hit her. Asuna managed to duck beneath the sword just in time for it to only managed to destroy her cloak, officially revealing what she looked like under that hood.
Asuna was a very pretty girl with long caramel brown hair that had a couple of small braids being tied together around the middle of the back of her head and a pair of hazel eyes. Apart from her obvious white leather pants and red boots, she also wore a red leather tunic over a thin white long-sleeved shirt as well as a lightweight copper breastplate, and a short red leather skirt.
Asuna immediately picked herself back up along with her sword and she drove her sword into Illfang's stomach, taking away one-tenth of its remaining health. And now it was Cloud's turn. Cloud rushed in as Illfang attempted to deliver another strike. Cloud activated a sword skill and swung his greatsword to the left, knocking Illfang's weapon to the side, giving Asuna the chance to rush back in and thrust her sword into the boss's stomach once again, taking another one-tenth of its remaining health.
Illfang went in for another slash, this time to it's right, but Kirito immediately stepped in and blocked its attack. Kirito shoved the boss's sword over to his own right, but Illfang immediately moved its arm around and prepared for an upper slash, catching Kirito off guard. As the slash hit Kirito, it sent him flying into both Cloud and Asuna, knocking them all to the ground. Cloud got himself back up and looked at Kirito's health bar, which has reduced to fifty percent. The boss waisted no time to prepare for another attack, this time a downward slash. As Kirito, Cloud, and Asuna were all about to be hit by Illfang's attack, a flash of green appeared in front of them.
It was Agil using his axe to deflect Illfang's attack and push it back about ten feet. All of the other players started charging towards the boss as Agil looked down at the three of them.
"We can hold this bastard off until you're health's back up." Agil said talking to Kirito
"Thanks, Agil." Kirito thanked with a smile
Cloud immediately pulled back out the health potion from his menu and handed it to Kirito. Kirito took the potion, put the top of the crystalized bottle in his mouth, and drank the potion. Kirito, Cloud and Asuna all watched as Kirito's health went all the way back to a hundred percent, and they all stood back up. They all looked towards the direction of the other players holding off the boss until Illfang overpowered them and swayed them all back with the No-Dachi. Illfang leaped high into the air and prepared to deliver a powerful downwards slash on Agil and the players.
Cloud reacted immediately and held his greatsword behind his back from over his head while preparing a sword skill. Once Cloud felt that familiar pulse, Cloud did one of the craziest things he ever thought of doing. He threw his greatsword at the boss with all of his might and watched it go flying towards the boss and deliver a strong solid strike, taking away one and a half tenth of Illfang's remaining health.
As both the boss and Cloud's sword fell to the ground, Kirito got himself back up and went after Illfang with Cloud and Asuna falling behind him. Kirito wasted no time to prepare a sword skill and deliver a powerful slash to the side on the boss, sending sliding across the floor to the near end of the other side of the room. The damage from Kirito's attack took one and one-third tenth of Illfang's remaining health. Cloud and Asuna caught up to Kirito and Cloud picked his sword back up from the ground.
"Cloud, Asuna, help me beat this sucker. Just one more attack from all of us." Kirito said
"Roger." Asuna replied
"Will do." Cloud responded
They all rushed over to the boss while preparing their final sword skills with Cloud leading the way this time. The boss picked itself back up and it prepared another sword skill. Illfang performed a downward slash at Cloud, but Cloud quickly dodged Illfang's attack and delivered a strong downward slash onto the boss's stomach, taking one and a half tenth more of its health away. Asuna was the next to perform her sword skill. Hers was what could only be described as a series of lightning fast thrusts of her rapier onto the boss's stomach, taking one and one-third tenth of the health. And finally it was Kirito's turn. As Kirito screamed at the top of his lungs, he delivered a powerful upwards slash starting from Illfang's stomach and ending all the way to the very top of its' head, and the impact of Kirito's last attack lifted the boss right off of the ground.
The cut in Illfang's body from Kirito's attack started to glow a bright shining blue and the bright blue light started to its body. Once the body was completely covered, Illfang The Kobold Lord's entire body shattered into many glowing floating pieces.
There was a silence that sat among all of the remaining players in the room. But the silence was broken with a series of loud screams and cheers from everyone as a giant floating sign that said "CONGRATULATIONS" appeared in the thin air. Kirito was down on one knee, taking some deep breaths and sheathing his sword after having defeated the boss with Cloud and Asuna's help, along with the assistance of all the other players. Kirito then noticed a notification appear right in front of him. The notification read: "Congratulations! You got the last attacking bonus!" Kirito then pressed the okay button on the notification and got another notification showing what the item was. The item was a piece of clothing called the Coat of Midnight.
The light in the room finally started to dim down to the point where the room was not as bright as it was before. Kirito was soon joined by Cloud, Asuna, and Agil with all of their weapons sheathed.
"You got the item. Way to go." Cloud said
"Nice job out there." Asuna complimented
"That was fine swordsmanship. Congratulations" Agil said as he looked at all three of them "Today's victory is all thanks to you three."
Most of the players started clapping and cheering on Kirito, Cloud, and Asuna. Both Cloud and Asuna felt flattered by everyone's praise, but Kirito didn't feel like this was well deserved, not for him at least. Despite the fact that he was now dead, Kirito really felt like today's victory mostly belongs to Diavel.
"STOP CHEERING!" A yell came from within the crowd
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked towards where the voice came from. Kirito, Cloud, Asuna, and Agil watched as Kibaou made his way to the front of the crowd and glared hatefully at Kirito.
"Why did you do it?!" Kibaou asked angrily "Why did you let Diavel die?!"
Saying that really struck a nerve for Cloud. Cloud glared over at Kibaou.
"What are you talking about?" Cloud asked in a demanding manner "He did not let Diavel die."
"LIAR!" Kibaou yelled at Cloud as he then glared back at Kirito "Admit it! You knew what technique the boss was gonna use! You could have warned us about it, then Diavel would have stood a chance! HE WOULDN'T HAVE DIED YOU SELFISH BASTARD!"
Cloud was now once again feeling that building anger he felt towards Kibaou the other day when he was badmouthing the beta testers. Cloud gritted his teeth together and clenched his fists tightly while glaring angrily at Kibaou.
"I know how he knew!" One of the other players shouted "He use to be a beta tester! Think about it, he knew the bosses attack patterns! He knew how to fight it, but he didn't bother telling us!
"Of course, I should have known." Kibaou said as he started walking towards Kirito "You beta testers are all the same! You want nothing but all the god damn glory for yourself! You're all so self-centered that you don't care if anyone else's lives other than your own are in danger! YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE ALIVE YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"
That was the last nerve that Cloud had. Cloud wasted no time stepping in between Kirito and Kibaou and getting up in Kibaous face. Kibaou froze in place when he saw the fuming anger in Cloud's eyes.
"Take one more step towards him or badmouth him one more time, and I will break your nose." Cloud threatened in a cold voice
"G- GET OUT OF MY WAY!" Kibaou yelled as he threw a punch at Cloud's face
Cloud reacted quickly and blocked Kibaou's punch by using his left hand to knock Kibaou's fist of to the left. He then quickly wrapped up Kibaou's right arm with his left arm, balled up his right fist, and drove it square center into Kibaou's face. As Cloud unwrapped his arm around Kibaou's Kibaou fell down onto the floor while holding onto his nose. Cloud then looked over at all the other players.
"Yeah, he was a beta tester!" Cloud announced to everyone "But guess what...So was Diavel!"
Cloud's words caused some serious chatter among the entire crowd while Kibaou looked up at him with a glare.
"What did you say?!" Kibaou screamed while still holding onto his face
"You heard me, punk." Cloud retored at Kibaou "Diavel was also a beta tester."
Cloud looked back up at everyone.
"Diavel told every one of you to stand back and let him finish the fight because he wanted to get the rare item drop by doing the last attack bonus!" Cloud announced to everyone "But the reason he wanted to get it was not because he wanted all the glory for himself or because he didn't care for the lives of other players! In fact, it's the exact opposite! Diavel wanted to get the rare item so that he could keep on getting stroger to the point where he could be strong enough to protect everyone! He wanted to become stronger so nobody else would have to put their lives on the line as he tries to help clear the game! If a beta tester like Diavel is capable of wanting to get rare items for himself in order to ensure the safety and protection of everyone, then perhaps you should all try believing that all the beta testers want something similar! It's like Agil showed us all yesterday, some of the former beta testers are trying to help out the other players by handing out guidebooks and constantly updating the said guidebooks with knowledge on enemies along with tips and strategies on how to fight them! Some of the beta testers may have different ways of helping out us other players, but they all want the same thing! They all want to help keep as many people as far away from death's door as possible! So how about instead of acting like Kibaou and being an absolute dick, we all try to be more appreciative that some of the beta testers are doing whatever they can to try to help us all survive this game?!"
The crowd all began to chatter more amongst themselves. Kirito looked at Cloud with a very happy smile on his face. It truly warmed his heart how Cloud was defending Kirito and all of the beta testers, even though he was sort of doing it in a crude way. Kibaou then thought of something that Cloud said.
"You said some of the beta testers..." Kibaou said looking up at Cloud, no longer holding his face "...Then that must mean that not all of them are as good and wholesome as you claim them to be."
Cloud glared back down at Kibaou while Kibaou returned that glare ad he got back up on his feet.
"Admit it. You know that there are some other beta testers out there who aren't so kind to others, right?!" Kibaou demanded
Cloud was about to speak up, but he then suddenly remembered his and Kirito's run-in with Coper, how Coper betrayed both of them in order to get Kirito's new sword.
"I bet there are plenty of beta testers out there who just don't give a damn about other people and will more than willingly stab them in the back to get what they want." Kibaou said causing more chatting amongst the crowd
Cloud was now starting to get nervous. His hands were now feeling sweaty and he felt at a loss of words. Kibaou now had Cloud in a tight corner, and Kirito could see how uncomfortable Cloud was now starting to feel. Kibaou could now see the discomfort in Cloud's eyes.
"Ah, so it's true." Kibaou said before turning to face the crowd "All of you, don't bother listening to this guys garbage! He's just a pathetic loser who will play good puppy for his little beta tester friend! And so what if the beta testers are making all those stupid little guidebooks?! None of those will mean a damn thing if the beta testers are continuing to take all the good quests and clearing out all the hunting fields! Diavel was the only acceptional beta tester because everything he did was to keep us safe! He was the only one wanting to protect us while all the other beta testers are being selfish and taking all of the good items and and keeping us weak!"
Kirito was now starting to feel really worried about what the public image of the beta testers would turn out to be. He thought Cloud's speech to everyone about how the beta testers are trying to help everyone would follow through, but now Kibaou had him in a position where he couldn't talk anymore. Kirito knew he had to do something in order to save the public image of the beta testers.
And then, he got an idea...a really insane idea.
Kirito started to laugh like a maniac as he stood back up from the ground and looked at everyone.
"So, you guys honestly think I'm just another simple beta tester?" Kirito asked everyone "It's not cool to put me in the same league as those noobs."
Kirito's words took everyone in the room by surprise, especially Cloud.
"...Kirito?" Cloud whispered to himself
"Truth be told, most of the one thousand people who scored a slot in SAO's beta test were all just a bunch of rookies. They were all so green that they didn't even know how to level up properly. Hell, even all you guys are much better than they were. But me, I'm nothing those losers." Kirito said in a cold tone with a cocky smile "During the beta test, I made it all the way to Floor Thirty-Four. I've easily outclassed all of the other testers by in knowledge of how to play and good skill. It was my knowledge and skills that got me so far beyond what the other beta testers were able to achieve. That's a fact. I even knew about the boss because I've fought and defeated way much more powerful enemies with way more sword skills on the higher floors. I know a lot of other things too, more than you could possibly imagine, more than any info-broker, and I don't feel like sharing any of my knowledge with you or any of the beta testers, because that is just an utter waste of my valuable time."
"...W- What the hell?" Kibaou said nearly speechless "...If...If that's true, then you're worse than a beta tester! YOU'RE A GOD DAMN CHEATER! THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE!"
Cloud, Asuna and Agil watched as all of the other players started throwing hate and insults at Kirito
"He's a beta tester and a cheater! He's a Beater!" cried one of the players from within the crowd
"A Beater?" Kirito asked "Hmm, that's an interesting word. Alright, you all can call me a Beater. Just don't ever confuse me as a simple beta tester anymore."
Kirito then opened up his menu and opened up his armour slots. He selected the Coat of Midnight and a big black coat appeared on Kirito's body. Kirito smirked at all of the other players before heading off the the doors on the other side of the room that lead straight up to Floor Two. Cloud, while very confused as to what Kirito just did, followed Kirito to the doors. They both reached the spiral stairs and started to climb them.
"Hey, wait!" They both heard Asuna's voice from behind them
They both turned around to see Asuna right there in front of the stairs. She had a real curious look on her face.
"When we were fighting the boss, you guys called me by my name." Asuna said
"Oh, did we mispronounce it or something?" Kirito asked
"No, it's just...How did you guys know it? I never told you guys my name." Asuna said
"You didn't have to." Cloud said "If you look above a player's curser, you'll see the name of each of the players you meet and interact with."
Asuna listened to what Cloud said and looked above his curser.
"CloudStrife07?" asked Asuna
"Yeah, or just Cloud for short." Cloud answered
Asuna then looked over Kirito's curser to look at name.
"Ki-ri-to...Kirito? Your name is Kirito?" Asuna asked
"Yeah, that is my name." Kirito answered
Asuna stood there for a few seconds before she started to giggle to herself in amusement.
"I'm so dumb." Asuna said while smiling "You're names were there the whole time and I never knew."
Kirito looked at Asuna with a serious yet gentle look.
"You can become powerful in this game on your own, but if the day comes when you're asked to join a guild, don't turn it down...there's only so much that a solo player can do." Kirito said before turning back around to continue walking up the stairs
"Well...hopefully, we'll see you again in the future." Cloud said to Asuna
"Oh, uh, yeah sure." Asuna said as she waved Cloud goodbye before returning to the rest of the party
Cloud then followed Kirito up the rest of the stairs. As Kirito and Cloud reached the doors, Cloud pulled Kirito in a huddle.
"Hey Kirito, would you mind telling me what that was back there?" Cloud asked in a whisper
"What do you mean?" Kirito responded also in a whisper
"That whole "Beater" thing. What was that?" Cloud asked more specifically
"Oh...that was my cover to save the public image of all the beta testers so that nobody would ever lose their trust in them. If saving the face of the beta testers for this game means acting like someone who looks down on beta testers for being noobs and not even bothering to help anyone because it would be inconvenient to me, I'm willing to do it." Kirito answered
Cloud's eyes widened. Kirito was bluffing throughout that whole speech in order to let the beta testers keep a good public image. Cloud didn't know whether or not to be admired by Kirito's actions or to criticize him for being willing to take on all of that hatred. Cloud then stopped huddling over Kirito. Kirito then opened up his menu and pulled up his party list. He pressed the Dissolve button and officially left the party that he, Cloud, and Asuna were all a part of. Cloud decided to do the same thing and leave the party since the boss fight was officially over now.
Kirito and Cloud looked up ahead, opened up the doors, and walked right through. They now officially made it past the first floor out of the one hundred floors of Aincrad, and while it was a difficult task getting to this point, they both knew it was only going to get more challenging from here on out. But they were both ready to embrace whatever may come their way.