A/N: I'd like to apologize for the lateness of this chapter. It's ten minutes away from being two days late xD Since it was spring break for me, I decided to hang out with a few friends. I got back at around six and realized "Oh crap... I haven't even finished the chapter!"So I wrote that, and THEN our internet decided to stop working :P So, anyway, here it is, and I hope you enjoy it.
After this chapter, I'm going to stay away from the actual events of the anime as much as possible. I'm tired of having to confine myself and ready to do my own thing ;)
Oh! And, can you spot Kukai in this chapter? You'll have to look closely, and you'll only be able to tell by his demeanor! Let me know if you can ;)
Chapter 3: Eye of The Beast
December 3rd, 2022
Floor 1: East Plateau
"Switch!" Ikuto called, falling back, and the pink-haired girl shot past him, her sword raised and ready. She swung, and her blade struck home, plunging itself into the large body of the snake.
The creature hissed, it's red eyes flashing, before it dispersed, blue light shards flashing through the air.
A window popped up before Amu, and she quickly tapped through it.
"Good job." Ikuto said, turning back towards the town. "We should be heading back, the party will be leaving soon."
Amu nodded, and came to his side as they walked back towards the town.
"Thanks for helping me." She said.
He nodded.
They walked in silence for a while, a breeze blowing the grass beside them.
"You were a beta tester, weren't you?"
"Yes." Ikuto replied.
"Tadase told me. He said that you helped him, and he was glad to be with someone like you." She turned her head towards him, her eyes searching his face. "Why did you stay behind to help him? Why are you helping me, and the other players to defeat the boss? You could go on ahead, or join a guild, or even PK if you wanted to."
He smirked. "So what, just because I'm a beta tester means I can't care?" He asked, using her previous statement.
She glared for a brief moment, before shrugging and looking forward again. "I'd just assumed that if you had the chance to be at the top, you'd take it."
He shrugged, not offering a reply to her question.
Yes, he wanted to be the best. He bought this game, ready to be the top player, no matter what anyone else said. But now… they had to beat the game.
So, could he still be the best?
Of course he could.
They arrived at the village and passed through the gate, their conversation coming to an end. They made their way through town, finding themselves in a small crowd of people heading the same direction they were. Soon, they arrived at a huge gate, where a large crowd was already gathered.
"Ikuto-kun!" They heard.
Ikuto glanced to the side, watching the blond speed up to them. Once there, he nodded at both of them. "Good morning, Amu-chan."
She nodded back, and together they faced forward, focusing their attention on Kirishima.
"Welcome, everyone." He greeted. "We're going to head off now. Once we get there, please immediately break up into your assigned squads. We'll be passing through the East Fields, and then we'll go through the forest." He glanced around the crowd, his eyes scanning the players. "Alright, it looks like everyone's here, so let's get moving."
The doors opened, and the players passed through, heading across the fields.
"How did your training go, Amu-chan?" Tadase asked.
"It went fine." She replied.
"That's good." He responded, not quite sure what else to say. He often tried to start up a conversation with her, but her closed-off, cold demeanor made it difficult.
They walked in silence for a little while, enjoying the sunlight. A chilly breeze blew across the fields, foreshadowing the forthcoming December snow. A few insects buzzed here and there, mostly bees and dragonflies.
Soon, they approached the forest and entered into it, the tall trees blocking out the sun. The leaves cast intricate patterns onto the players, decorating them with their shade.
"Are you going to try to get the last attack bonus on the boss, Ikuto?" Tadase asked.
The blue-haired player cast his partner a sly smirk. "Possibly."
Tadase returned a smile.
Finally, they arrived at the doors of the boss room. Kirishima turned to the troop.
"Everyone, please assemble in your parties and squads." He requested. There was a bit of shuffling around, and then the players turned back to him.
"Well, that's just about it." Kirishima smiled. "Alright, everyone! Let's take down this boss!"
With that, he turned and opened up the huge double doors.
They entered into a massive, dark hall. Pillars lined the sides, and intricate designs were inscribed in the floor. At the far end of the chamber, a large, black silhouette slumped in a throne with a large battle axe by its side. Two glowing yellow orbs pierced the darkness as the beast opened its eyes.
With that, the room lit up, The walls and ceiling burst into colors, swirling, shifting and moving masses that twirled about as if they belonged in a kaleidoscope.
The figure grabbed the battle axe and leapt into the air, sailing high through the hall until it landed with a heavy thud before them.
Text, four health bars, and a red triangular prism appeared over its head.
«Illfang the Kobold Lord»
Illfang took the appearance of a large, fat, upright, red rat-like creature. The mouth was filled with sharp teeth while two yellow beady eyes protruded from the skull. It had a triangular design tattooed in light blue on its stomach, and a pink tail protruded from its back. A green neck brace attached to a hood, which covered the back of the head. It was also equipped with matching gauntlets.
Three more creatures appeared, blinking into existence with a flash of blue light. Their figures were more kangaroo-like, however, only their long red ears, tails, and claws showed from their full-body armor. Their faces were covered by helmets. They carried large, oddly-shaped maces. «Ruined Kobold Sentinels» appeared over their heads, along with health bars and red prisms.
With a roar, all of them charged.
"Attack!" Kirishima cried. "Squads A and C, charge!"
With yells and battle cries, the players charged forward, meeting the first floor boss.
Illfang raised the mighty battle axe over his head, preparing to strike.
"Now! Squad B, block!"
Players ran forward, their swords charged and bursting with color, to block the attack.
"When you fall back, regroup and flank Illfang." Kirishima ordered. "Squadrons C and D, work on the sentinels!"
Ikuto nodded and charged to the nearest Sentinel. It leapt into the air, bringing its mace over its head. Ikuto brought his own sword up and parried the blow, knocking the weapon out of the way.
"Tadase, switch!"
Ikuto leapt back as the blond shot forward, flying past him, to meet the Sentinel. He brought his sword back, charging it. He released it, slashing at the rat. It gave a grated squeak as it was knocked back before exploding.
He nodded quickly. "Good."
Another Sentinel materialized out of the air above him and jumped on him. Ikuto slashed upward and deflected the blow, then back down, knocking the creature away.
A massive roar from Illfang distracted him. He turned. The creature threw its head forward, leering, and gave a menacing snap of its jaws as its last health bar turned red. It thrust its hands into the air and released its axe and shield, sending them flying across the hall.
"Looks like that guidebook was right." Ikuto heard Amu's voice coming from behind him.
The creature reached to a sheath on its belt and drew out another blade.
Just as the players were about to rush forward, they were stopped by a "Stand back!"
They paused, and parted ways as Kirishima rushed through the crowd. He grinned. "I'm going to take it down!"
"That wasn't the plan…" Tadase trailed off as Kirishima approached the boss.
Kirishima paused before the beast, waiting to attack, his sword emitting sparks and bursts of energy.
Illfang freed the blade from its sheath, drawing it out with a whoosh of air, holding it in ready position. A long, blunt blade grew thicker until the end, where it branched off into two points.
Tadase gasped. "Ikuto!"
Ikuto's deep blue eyes widened. He'd seen it too.
That's not a talwar… that's an odachi.
This is different than the beta!
"Kirishima-san! Stop!" The blond called out.
Either not hearing him, or choosing to ignore him, the player continued his actions.
"Tadase." Ikuto called.
His partner turned to him, then nodded, an unspoken understanding between them.
"I'm ready." He said.
Together they shot forward, dashing towards the boss and the still ignorant Kirishima.
"Kirishima, get out of there!" Tadase yelled, trying to get the man to come to his senses.
They had just about reached Kirishima's side when suddenly, Illfang leapt into the air. It crashed into the top of a pillar, then turned and leapt off of it, sailing across the room towards the opposite end. Ikuto and the players all swiveled, following Illfang's movements.
The boss shot downwards, bowling into Ikuto, Tadase, and Kirishima, knocking them into the air before they had the chance to strike.
The beast swung the odachi.
Kirishima cried out as a red slash mark wound appeared across his chest.
Ikuto and Tadase crashed into the ground not too far away from each other, and watched in horror as Illfang pulled back and struck again, sending Kirishima flying across the room. He crashed into the floor, rolling several times and collapsing into a heap.
"Kirishima-san!" Tadase cried, running towards the man. He dropped to his knees, sliding into a kneeling position next to the fallen player.
Ikuto leapt to his feet, his sword charged and ready to block Illfang's next blow. The blade bore down, and Ikuto readied himself, steadying his hand.
Just before Illfang's blade struck his own, a flash of pink echoed through the side of his vision, and another blade joined his to deflect the strike.
Together, they used their power to knock aside the blade, with a great clang, the three blades connected, and the odachi ricocheted back.
Both players jumped back as one, landing among the other squadrons.
"Tadase, how – " Ikuto turned his head towards Tadase to ask how Kirishima was.
The man's figure turned transparent blue, and then burst into light, leaving a wide-eyed Tadase behind, an unused health potion in his hand.
The players all gasped, shocked, staring at the place where their leader had been just a few moments ago.
Taking a deep breath, Ikuto slowly looked back over to Illfang, who looked like he was once again about to attack, roaring at the players. He turned towards the beast, readying his sword.
Another flash of pink lit up his peripheral vision, and he turned to see Amu.
"I'm coming too." She said, looking him in the eyes.
He nodded. "Alright. Follow my lead."
Together they took off, heading once more towards the boss.
"We're going to use the method we defeated the minions with." He shouted to her, receiving an affirmative shake of the head as a reply.
Illfang's beady eyes turned towards them. He pulled his sword back. It began to glow and snap with power.
Ikuto lifted his sword to meet the blow, undaunted.
The blades collided with a loud clang, a bright flash, and a burst of sparks.
"Switch!" Ikuto yelled.
The girl jumped into the air, bringing a glowing rapier forward, and struck him across the face.
"Watch out!" He shouted, seeing Illfang raise the odachi.
Amu gasped and jumped out of the way as the blade came down, catching her cloak instead of her. The fabric disappeared in a flurry of sparkles.
She remained determined, her golden eyes glaring at the boss. Leaping up, she drove her rapier into the monster, driving it backwards.
She landed back on the ground beside Ikuto, her long pink hair swirling around her.
They both focused back on the monster as it gave a roar, lifting the talwar as it ran towards them.
Ikuto deflected a blow of the boss, allowing Amu to get in another blow.
The boss changed its attack pattern, launching into a series of quick strikes. Ikuto quickly blocked each one. He swung his sword up and then widely to the left to dislodge Illfang's blade. Only then did he realize his mistake.
He'd left himself directly open for an attack.
The monster struck. Ikuto went flying across the room, crashing into Amu. They both fell into a heap on the floor as Ikuto's sword clattered away.
Ikuto's health declined, giving the previously green bar a yellow tint.
The girl gasped, and they both looked up at an ear-splitting roar, seeing the monster above them, holding up its sword, which was glowing a brilliant yellow.
The monster threw it downwards, delivering a killing blow.
A battle cry sounded, and with a flash of light blue, the odachi was deflected away from them.
Tadase stood above him, his sword raised in the air.
He turned to look back at Ikuto.
"We'll hold him off until your health is back up." He said with a smile.
Ikuto nodded.
With yells and battle cries, all the players charged towards Illfang, attacking with all they had.
Ikuto impatiently checked his health bar, wanting it to recharge so he could get back to the fight.
Illfang abruptly changed his attack pattern again, leaping high into the air, his sword charging to full power.
Ikuto jumped up as the monster began its descent. "Amu!" He called. "Attack with me!"
She came to his side as Ikuto ran towards the monster, holding his sword at ready.
As Illfang swung the odachi, Ikuto deflected it.
Switch!
Amu jumped forward, stabbing it with her rapier.
Switch!
Ikuto came forward and swung his sword downwards, cutting it deeply. The monster roared, its tongue lolling out of the mouth, stumbling back.
Ikuto quickly followed, burrowing his sword into the stomach and jumped upward, dragging it as deeply as he could. He pulled it out and went for one last blow, digging it into the monster again. And again. And again and again and again.
The monster began to glow blue. Ikuto fell downward, unable to stay in the air any longer.
The first level boss sailed into the air, Ikuto's wounds glowing a bright, radiant, blue, before it exploded, a blinding light flashing in the room.
The players were silent, staring. Had they done it? Was it over?
«CONGRATULATIONS!»
And with that, everyone exploded into cheers. Joy practically oozed from the players as they examined the windows that had popped up, showing them what they'd won.
Ikuto panted from his knees on the ground from where he'd landed. Opening his eyes, he read the text of the window.
Congratulations! You got the last attacking bonus!
Another small window opened up.
Bonus item: Coat of Midnight
Standing, he walked over to where the blond was on the ground, still a bit stunned from the blow he'd received.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
The blond nodded. "Kirishima…" He spoke quietly.
"Hey!" One of the players yelled.
Ikuto and Tadase turned, landing their eyes on a brunet male.
"Great work you guys! We wouldn't have been able to do it without ya!" He grinned, showing a thumbs up.
Approval went up from the crowd, with more people picking up and cheering.
Ikuto surveyed the crowd, looking at all of the players cheering for him. His blue eyes hardened.
"Stop." He commanded, his voice hard.
No one heard him, and they continued clapping.
"I said STOP IT!" He shouted angrily.
The cheers immediately quieted, giving him confused stares.
"I don't want your thanks." He growled, his voice once again taking on a quiet volume. "Don't act like that when the next second you could turn against me. I don't need your false gratitude."
Leaving the players in stunned silence, he turned away. "Come on Tadase, we're leaving."
The blond nodded, and scurried to follow him. They mounted the stairs, approaching the door.
"Wait!"
Amu ran up behind them.
"Yes?" Ikuto asked impatiently.
She glared at him, her expression suggesting the opposite of her words.
"Thank you. For helping me."
"Sure." He chuckled. Then,
"You're a talented player, Amu. If someone you trust offers you the chance to join a guild, don't turn it down."
With that, he opened his menu.
«Dissolve»
Will you disband your party?
He hit the blue circle.
He and Tadase left the room, vanishing behind the two doors.