A/N:

This is by far the longest chapter I've written for Unyielding, but I didn't feel right splitting it up into two parts. If you couldn't already tell by the chapter title, we're capping off the end of the Elf War campaign quest here with a climactic battle against the Fallen.

It's been a while since I've written such a chapter that was so action-oriented. Hope it measures up!

Also, hot damn, Unyielding has reached several milestones. At the time of this posting, we've got over 240 favorites, 320 followers, over 100 reviews, and over 50,000 views! You all are awesome and I can't even begin to express how great it is to have such support for this crazy little (definitely not little at this point) project of mine.

Anyway, on with the show!

If their lives weren't at stake, Kirito might have actually enjoyed this.

It had all of the elements of a grand-scale fantasy war, the kinds of battles he'd overseen time and time again during his brief stint playing real-time strategy games, or 'RTS' games as many were liable to shorten the genre's name to. The battle in front of the 9th floor labyrinth might have been missing a clear-cut commander or general - as RTS games usually had the player to fill that role - but everything else was there.

The clash of two - or in this case, three - armies in a large-scale battle. Good versus evil; the Forest and Dark Elves were fighting for their continued survival while the Fallen Elves were fighting for annihilation. Real stakes, at least in how they related to the established lore of the game.

Kirito still wasn't quite sold on the idea that failure didn't mean death for Aincrad. Kizmel was already proof of the game being more real than he first thought.

"Kirito, switch!"

The Renegade leader was whipped out of his thoughts as Geeou backpedaled, having just parried a Fallen's sword strike with one of his own. Almost on instinct, Kirito lunged forward to exploit the opening afforded by his blonde guild officer. Having closed the distance quickly, he lashed out twice with two unassisted slashes of his own before continuing with a ((Meteor Fall)). It was probably overkill, but the verticality of that hybrid martial arts / sword skill allowed him a brief glimpse of his surroundings. He needed to take mental stock of what was going on around him.

Nautilus was hanging near the rearguard with Sinon and Yuna, obviously taking to his new role as support with a markedly serious expression. In the months Kirito had known his fellow swordsman, it was all-too-obvious how much Nautilus valued Yuna so it was no surprise that he was guarding the songstress with his life during this chaotic melee. Sinon just happened to be nearby but was easily utilizing the additional protection provided to rain volley after volley on the Fallen army.

Elsewhere - but still nearby - was a trio composed of Silica, Liz, and Leonn. The combination seemed to be working well, actually. Liz and Leonn took on most of the attention, the former with her defensive shielder playstyle and the latter just by virtue of being an veritable juggernaut on the battlefield, while Silica expertly weaved in and out to score hits on unsuspecting opponents. Pina kept close to her master for the most part, dousing the trio in healing mists, though every so often she would flit away to go heal a nearby ally before returning to keep watch over the trio.

On the opposite side, Kirito spotted Asuna teaming up with Lokuss and Kizmel. The fencer and the Pagoda Knight were the vanguard of this particular unit, pushing forward using their overwhelming speed and might. Any ground gained by Asuna was immediately fortified and locked down by Kizmel, while any attempts at a flanked ambush by the Fallen were quickly thwarted by Lokuss and Gryd, who were more than happy to punish their enemies with a well-aimed grapple, a saber slash, a flurry of claws, or some combination thereof.

His guild and friends were functioning like a well-oiled machine.

His hand grasped his previously airborne sword as his body went to complete the ((Meteor Fall)) skill. His gaze shifted downward as he brought the sword upon his unfortunate foe. The elf shattered quite quickly and easily. Once the recovery time passed on the sword skill, Kirito immediately rolled from his crouched position to rejoin with Geeou.

"Went a little overboard, did we?" Geeou asked with a smirk.

Kirito shook his head. "Maybe, but the jump let me see what everyone else was doing."

"That makes sense." Geeou admitted with a look of consideration on his face. "Hard to keep tabs on everyone with how chaotic this is."

"Exactly." Kirito confirmed, nodding his head sharply. "Everyone's good so far, but the battle isn't over yet."

"Wanna make things interesting in the meantime?" Geeou asked, deflecting a charging Fallen with his sword before finishing it off with a ((Diagonal)).

Kirito couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "What did you have in mind?"

"A competition of sorts." Geeou explained. "Whoever has the most kills before the battle takes us inside wins."

Kirito grinned widely. "You're on!"

Immediately, the two swordsmen dashed off in opposite directions, yet never strayed too far from the other. This may have been a competition, but neither was willing to forsake the safety of the other just because they wanted to win. Kirito closed in on a Fallen that was otherwise engaged with a member of the ALS; he couldn't tell who exactly it was in the heat of battle but the colors were obvious enough. He pivoted and lashed out with a ((Diagonal)), rending a pixelated gash across the elf's back, shattering it a second later.

That was one. Technically a kill-steal, but a kill's a kill he supposed.

With the elf gone, Kirito could see that the ALS member he'd just helped was Liten. He remembered the ALS tank was not only incredibly bulky - more so than Liz and Leonn, much to his own disbelief - but was also unaffected by her leader's egotistical tendencies. A good quality to have.

"Thanks, Kirito!" Liten shouted as he dashed away to the next elf. She whipped around to smack another Fallen with her mace.

"No problem!" He answered before thrusting his sword headlong into the spine of another Fallen Elf. His unsuspecting opponent cried out in pain before shattering into polygons.

That was two. Kirito resigned himself to the idea that he wasn't going to get any real kills of his own here.

Kirito made his way through the battlefield, dispatching Fallen Elves and electing to work in concentric circles to clear the area around himself. He could certainly work in a straight line and push directly into the enemy lines, but he was not about to overextend himself and get caught surrounded. Survival in Aincrad was about fighting smarter, not harder. This way, he could also support his nearby allies.

*CLANG*

Kirito wheeled around, caught off guard by the sudden ring of metal striking metal. It wasn't the sound of blades parrying; there was certainly more than enough of that to go around. This was a deep, resounding metallic sound that he could feel in his bones. Well, virtual bones that is. As his eyes caught on to the source of the sound, his lips formed an amused smile. He knew exactly what made that sound. What was it they called it?

Ah yes. "Striking the Anvil."

In a move reminiscent of their fight with the Fallen on the 3rd floor, Leonn had brought his maul down on a Fallen foolish enough to be pressed against Liz's shield. It never stood a chance, being caught between a figurative hammer and anvil. Silica was nearby, practically fangirling over the maneuver as she hopped up and down in excitement.

"That was so cool!" The young dragon tamer exclaimed. She stopped hopping for a moment to quickly dispatch a Fallen that had strayed too close. "Did you guys plan that out?!"

Liz raised her shield and blocked a stray arrow that was about to hit Silica. "Kind of? It happened by accident once and we just kinda do it if the opportunity presents itself."

"Speak for yourself." Leonn chuckled out as he kicked a Fallen Elf's chest, slamming it down onto the ground before finishing it with an execution-style smash of his maul. "I look for those opportunities. It's fun getting to team up with you."

"Aww, thanks!" Liz exclaimed with a wink, whipping her warhammer around into another Fallen, shattering it. "I guess you're not so bad to team up with."

"Not so bad?" Leonn asked, feigning insult as he rested his maul on his shoulder. "After all we've been through? You wound me."

"Hey! Focus!" Asuna shouted from nearby. She dived into another group of Fallen, disappearing from view entirely, yet her voice was still heard over the din of battle. "Fight now! Flirt later!"

Kirito couldn't help but laugh at that. For all of Asuna's tsundere tendencies, when she was in the heat of battle she became a different person. Focused. Dedicated. A tactician. A warrior. He liked that about her.

Liz grumbled something under her breath while Leonn seemed flustered, apparently deciding to distract himself with a group of approaching Fallen. Silica was smirking and glancing back and forth between the two tanks as Pina blanketed the trio in a soft healing mist. Kirito chuckled and decided to move on, seeing that this area of the battle was under control. He sprinted over to where Kizmel was engaging two Fallen at once, while Lokuss was dueling with one of his own.

"Everything okay over here?" Kirito asked, slashing out three times with his blade and finishing off the Fallen that Kizmel was engaging from behind.

Kizmel gave a quick salute with her sword before leveling it at a Fallen charging her way. "We are alive. Thank you for the assist, Kirito. I do worry about Lokuss, though… is that a common battle tactic among your people?"

Kirito followed the direction the Dark Elf nodded towards to see that Lokuss had used his grapple to hang a Fallen Elf up from a nearby tree branch. With his opponent otherwise unable to retaliate, Lokuss and Gryd were free to score hit after hit against the sudden elven piñata. It might have been considered cruel, but all was fair in love and war, Kirito supposed. He winced as Lokuss kept throttling the poor elf with his saber.

Still didn't make it any less weird.

"Uhh…" Kirito droned, still stunned by the sight. "No. That is the first I'm seeing of it."

"It's efficient, if a little cruel." Kizmel admitted as Lokuss finished off his helpless foe in a burst of pixels. "But effective nonetheless."

"That's one way of putting it." Kirito remarked as he hastily parried an oncoming blade. He mentally kicked himself for letting his guard down like that. Lokuss's peculiar battle tactics be damned, it was not worth getting distracted and killed over. He glanced over to see Geeou still hard at work, cutting his way through the swathe of enemies nearby.

Kirito felt that competitive edge wash over him again. He was not about to lose to his own officer like this; there was no way anyone would let him forget it if he did. Even if he wanted the best for his guild, there was no way he was going to just let any of them pass him up. Not without a fight, at least. The swordsman jumped back into the fray, blade in hand. The fight outside the gate was nearly finished, he noticed. If he was going to maintain an edge over Geeou, he would need to get busy.

Noting a stray Fallen that seemed to have taken a few shots from Sinon already, Kirito ran forward and struck with a ((Horizontal)), catching his target unawares across the midsection. Without waiting for the elf to burst into pixels, Kirito dashed to the side to catch another one across the back with a spinning ((Diagonal)). Just as he was coming out of the cooldown for the skill, Kirito saw another blade hurtling towards his head. Reflexively, he ducked down as the sword sailed over his head. He immediately retaliated with a ((Meteor Fall)).

Sure, he wanted to survey the battlefield again, but it was mostly because that skill was fun. Being able to jump high into the air, higher than he could ever imagine possible in real life, and then come crashing down like… well, a meteor?

Right now, it was probably his favorite sword skill.

"Show off." Geeou chuckled, walking up from behind him after Kirito finished the skill and the elf he'd used it on. His fellow swordsman clasped him on the shoulder. "How'd you do?"

Kirito looked around to see that the battle outside the labyrinth gate was largely finished. He took a moment to remember just how many he'd slain during the battle. He hadn't spent the entire time fighting, after all, and side conversations were awfully distracting. He supposed it was good team-building, in any case.

"Twenty-five?" Kirito guessed, earning a raised eyebrow from Geeou. "I sort of lost track halfway through, but I think that's around how many I killed."

"Hah!" Geeou guffawed. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Same here, actually. Call it a draw?"

Kirito grinned and held out an open palm. "For now. Good game, though."

"We'll just have to continue it inside, right?" Geeou replied with a grin of his own. He slapped his hand down on Kirito's open palm in a low-five. Feeling particularly friendly, Kirito turned his hand over and slapped his hand down and was not at all surprised to see that his fellow swordsman was waiting for a low-five in return. He and Geeou seemed to operate on the same wavelength, he'd realized some time ago.

"It's opening up!" Lind shouted, drawing everyone's attention to the labyrinth gate. True to form, the gate was opening up and immediately everyone - Clearers and Elves alike - began to funnel inside. "Get ready!"

Kirito fished out a health potion just as Kizmel and the rest of the Renegades assembled around him. Pina flew over and began carpet-bombing the Renegades with healing mists. It seemed a bit like overkill on the healing, but Kirito was not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Silica had likely instructed her familiar to ensure that everyone was in tip-top shape.

"Well fought, my friends." Kizmel began, the faintest hint of exhaustion in her voice. "But I am afraid the battle is not over yet. Kar is undoubtedly awaiting us inside with the keys."

"Why hasn't he done anything yet?" Nautilus asked. A few confused looks and accusatory glares were leveled at him, whereupon he recoiled and held his hands up. "Not saying he should have, but he could have! Does this not bother anyone else?"

Kirito cupped his chin in thought. "Naut's right. It's probably part of the quest requirements. He's waiting."

"Quest requirements?" Asuna inquired. "How so?"

"Quests don't normally trigger on their own." Kirito began to explain, his gaze lingering on Kizmel for all of a second. She was the wild card here, having sprung the siege quest on the 4th floor, after all. She was the unknown factor, and Kirito sincerely hoped he'd learn more about why that was in the future. "A quest isn't going to just go ahead without a player nearby to influence the outcome. Otherwise, what's the point?"

"Is this more of your strange human magic?" Kizmel whispered off to the side, leaning in towards Yuna.

"Y-yeah." The songstress replied hesitantly. "Like I said, we don't understand how it all works either, but it does."

"I have much to learn." Kizmel admitted before noticing many of the Renegades had diverted their attention to her. "My apologies. Please continue, Kirito."

"In other words…" Kirito continued, bringing the topic back to the forefront. "He's not going to do anything until we get inside and face him."

"That's great news!" Silica exclaimed. "Then we can stock up on supplies and come back later, right?"

Kirito heard Kizmel groan - or was that a whimper? - under her breath. Clearly the Pagoda Knight wasn't keen on the idea of abandoning the battle like this. "I would prefer not to leave with such an important battle looming, if it is all the same to you all."

Liz tilted her head and looked at Kizmel. "Speaking of, I'm surprised you're not with the rest of the Dark Elves. Not that I'm complaining, but why are you hanging out with us instead?"

Kizmel gave a firm nod. "Her majesty values our continued partnership with the humans. Since you are the closest human friends of ours, she assigned me to safeguard your group. While none of you are by any means inexperienced fighters, she wants to ensure that you are all okay, and remain that way."

"We appreciate it anyway, Kizmel. Thank you." Asuna answered for them all. "Is everyone healed up?"

Everyone merely nodded, having since healed themselves or having been healed by Pina's strafing healing runs. Liz decided to do some last-minute repairs for everyone present including, much to everyone's surprise, Kizmel's sword as well.

"We'd better get going." Geeou said, gesturing towards the open labyrinth gate. Both armies, as well as that of the Clearer force, had mostly already funneled in and the sounds of combat could be faintly heard even from this distance. He turned to Kirito. "You up for round two?"

Kirito chuckled and held a fist out. "You bet. This time I'll keep count."

Geeou met his fist halfway with one of his own. "Loser buys the guild dinner?"

Kirito withdrew his fist and unsheathed his sword while the others around him looked on with amusement and curiosity. "I'm sure Asuna will enjoy not cooking for us for once. You're on."

"Seventeen!" Kirito shouted, his voice rising above the din of battle around him.

Once Kirito, Kizmel, Lokuss, and the rest of the Renegades had charged in, it did not take long for them to catch up with the main offensive force. To call the inside of the labyrinth a chaotic melee would be a vast understatement. A regular sized Clearer force storming their way through a labyrinth was a methodical process, with teams rotating in and out to ensure that no one exhausted themselves. Tanks would form a defensive line and steadily engage enemies, with DPS players weaving in and out. Support teams would keep everyone topped off on health or rotate in to relieve damaged or exhausted players.

A Clearer force plus two elven armies, on the other hand, was not nearly as organized.

The storming of the labyrinth could best be described as a wave of angry players and NPCs. To use a term Kirito had heard referenced from the older days of gaming, he was in the middle of a "zerg". If he remembered correctly, it was a battle tactic that was popularized by the sci-fi race of Zergs from the Starcraft games. The basic idea was simple: overwhelm your opponent with sheer numbers at the expense of any semblance of strategy. It was a quickened battle of attrition, a numbers game.

"Nineteen!" Geeou shouted as he dashed past Kirito with a cocky grin on his face.

"What?!" Kirito cried as he increased the pace of his own attacks, pushing forward with increased fervor. With how many friendlies were around, he could afford to be a little more reckless with his attacks. Half of his targets were distracted, anyway.

"Are you two seriously competing for who gets the most kills?" Asuna asked exasperatedly. She crossed Kirito's vision as she charged headlong into the backside of another Fallen Elf. "Unbelievable."

"Eh, let them have this, Asuna." Leonn interjected as he shoved a Fallen back with his maul. "I'm sure they won't get themselves into too much trouble."

"Plus, the loser's buying us all dinner!" Silica exclaimed as she backflipped away from an offending Fallen. She pumped a fist into the air. "That means you don't need to cook for us tonight!"

"Hey!" Asuna started to argue, but then seemed to stop herself, choosing instead to focus more on the battle raging around them. "It's not like I mind cooking for everyone. It does raise my cooking skill..."

"Hoo, whoever you end up with is gonna be a lucky guy with an attitude like that!" Klein chuckled from nearby as he cut down a Fallen with his curved blade. Kirito watched in amusement as Dale stopped what he was doing and crossed the battlefield just to smack his guild leader upside the head. "Ow, hey!"

"Klein!" Asuna cried out in embarrassment.

"You know, the same could be said for guys too." Yuna suggested as she ran over, potion in hand, to an injured Nezha. "Girls like a guy who can cook."

"How about it, boys?" Liz asked sassily. She brought her warhammer down onto a Fallen before slinging her weapon over her shoulder. "Who's going to woo Asuna with their amazing cooking skills?"

"LIZ!" Asuna roared out from somewhere nearby. Kirito couldn't tell where she was, but he had a pretty good idea as to how red her face was right now. She was cute when she was flustered like that.

"Twenty-seven!" Kirito shouted out in a desperate attempt to ease the pressure off of Asuna. He swung out with a ((Horizontal)), catching another Fallen across the midsection and shattering it. "Twenty-eight!"

"Slow down, Kirito!" Geeou cried out with a chuckle. "I'm starting to regret making this bet."

Kirito laughed. He wouldn't slow down. He had a reputation to uphold, after all. As the guild leader of the Renegades, he felt he had to be the best of the best. While he had no doubt that his friends and guildmates were capable fighters, he would feel a bit of shame if any of them surpassed him. It had absolutely nothing to do with his own competitive streak.

Nothing at all. Really.

"The boss room!" Kibaou shouted from somewhere up ahead. All eyes were immediately drawn towards where the ALS leader's voice rang out from. "We found it!"

"We need to get over there!" Kirito shouted, gathering the attention of all who were nearby, which he now noticed consisted of his own guild, The Legend Braves, Fuurinkazan, Kizmel, and Lokuss. He did a double take at the loremaster, partly surprised at his presence here at what was going to be a boss battle, but then he considered the fact that this was also the culmination of the Elf War campaign quest. Of course he was going to be here.

"Let's move!" Asuna commanded, leading the charge towards where they heard Kibaou's voice. "Form up and push forward!"

"Right!" Everyone shouted in response. As one unit, the three guilds (and friends) pushed forward through the veritable mass of elves. That said, they were careful to avoid striking the Dark or Forest Elves and focused their attacks on the Fallen. Within minutes, they'd reached the boss room gate, where the ALS and DKB were waiting. Meanwhile, behind them, the Forest and Dark Elven soldiers were keeping the Fallen away from the boss gate.

"About time, Beater!" Kibaou scolded. He crossed his arms. "Took yer sweet time, didn't ya?!"

"Oh, lay off, Kibaou!" Klein shot back, surprising the ALS leader. "You need him and you know it! We all do!"

"Why, you…" Kibaou grumbled, fists clenching.

"Alright, that's enough. The Forest and Dark Elves might be able to keep the Fallen at bay indefinitely, but I don't feel like testing that theory." Lind stepped in. He turned to Kirito; his face was apologetic, at least. "Kirito, can you tell us anything about this boss before we engage?"

"Kizmel, Lokuss, did you want to take this?" Kirito asked, glancing over his shoulder. Kizmel was right behind him and looking rather protective, probably insulted by proxy for Kibaou's earlier attitude. "You both know more about him than we do."

Kizmel nodded before turning to address the Clearers. "General Kar of the Fallen is a formidable enemy. He uses a double-bladed scimitar in battle; effectively a quarterstaff with a blade on each end. He is quite agile and adept at offense and defense. Do not let your guard down for one second or you may not live to regret it."

"He seems to want to destroy the sacred elven trees Lyusula and Kales'Oh, so I expect the trees will play a role in the fight." Lokuss interjected as the Clearers' attention shifted to the loremaster. "Elven legend says that if those trees fall, then the magic keeping Aincrad afloat will cease and we'll all plummet to our deaths. No pressure."

"That's just flavor text! That's not going to happen." Kibaou scoffed. He seemed to note the serious looks on the Renegades' faces. "...Right?"

"Maybe, but I'd rather not chance it." Kirito said. His expression hardened as his brow furrowed. "A lot changed since the beta and I think we all know where Kayaba stands on the matter of player safety."

A collective shiver ran through the Clearer group. Even Kizmel looked disturbed, since she had at least some idea as to what the players were going through. No one needed to be reminded at how thoughtless and callous SAO's game master was. This was a man who wasted his genius and instead of furthering the future of virtual reality, probably stagnated it by trapping 10,000 innocents within a death game. Everyone still remembered Launch Day.

A day like that would never be forgotten.

"Alright, so watch for his Darth Maul staff-blade-thing and keep him away from the trees. Got it." Klein summarized while changing the subject. He shook his head and chuckled. "Anything else we should know, Kirito?"

"Nothing else I know of." Kirito answered with a shake of his head. "Don't die."

Kibaou gave something between a chuckle and a scoff. "Let's get this over with. ALS! Prepare to move out!"

A resounding shout of affirmation echoed through the ALS ranks. Kibaou certainly ran his guild like a military, and it showed. In fact, they were assembled rank and file, in neat little lines. It was almost impressive.

If only their leader wasn't a complete ass.

Kibaou took the liberty of opening the doors, which creaked open ominously, complete with dust and dirt falling from the tops as they swung open. The chamber within was large - as was standard for boss battle rooms, to be sure - and appeared to be made of stone and gnarled roots that dove in and out of the granite walls. The thick moss that adorned the roots gave the chamber an overall ancient appearance. What was most striking about the room, however, were the two trees located on the left and right sides of the room. The leftmost tree was a deep and vibrant green, while the rightmost tree was a rich ebony in hue. Each was massive, not anywhere near the size of the mangrove trees on the 8th floor but still impressive nonetheless. Both trees almost dominated the side of the room they were situated in.

And in the center was a Fallen Elven General of some renown.

"So glad you could join me." Kar began, looking characteristically smug. He gestured towards the raid party. "And I see you've brought friends, Kizmel."

"They're starting with a cutscene?" Orlando asked to no one in particular.

Klein shrugged. "It kinda makes sense. It's part of a big storyline so it makes sense for it to be dramatic like that."

"Enough running, Kar!" Kizmel shouted across the chamber. She drew her sword and shield before leveling the blade and pointing it at the general. "I know not what you intend on doing to our sacred trees, but I will not let it come to pass."

A manic grin sprouted on Kar's face, which only led to even more disconcerting laughter. Kar's cackle echoed and reverberated off the stone walls and oaken roots. Then the laughter began to take on a more ethereal, echoing quality. Kirito was no doctor or voice coach, but even he knew that the sounds coming out of Kar's mouth were not natural. Kirito felt a shiver go down his spine just before he felt someone grab his hand. He looked over and saw that Asuna was equally unnerved by Kar's manic laughter. He knew she didn't really like anything resembling paranormal activity, and the sounds coming out of Kar were bordering on that right now.

"Perhaps I shall educate you, then." Kar boasted as he spread his arms wide, gesturing towards the trees. "You see, these trees are absolutely brimming with magic. Magic that, even as we speak, runs through their roots and branches and leaves. Magic that is harvested from all over Aincrad. Magic I want."

"You fool!" Kizmel scolded. "Draining the sacred trees of their magic, or even releasing it, will spell doom for us all! Aincrad will fall and destroy everything! Not even you will survive!"

Kar cackled yet again - villains liked to monologue and laugh, didn't they? - as he pulled out a charm not dissimilar to the one he used to conceal himself in shadow before. "You can't kill a shadow, can you? I'll be just fine, but I thank you for your concern."

Kirito could see Kizmel seething with rage as she tightly gripped the hilt of her sword. Then he felt a tap on his shoulder. He glanced back and saw Klein leaning in.

"Kinda wishing we had joined you guys for the campaign quest." Klein whispered. "Feels like I'm watching the series finale for a show I never even started."

"Yeah, we had fun with it anyway." Kirito admitted with a shrug. He turned back to the cutscene in front of him only to see that now Kar was glowing green and purple. More concerning was that the sacred trees on either side of the room were also glowing, and Kirito could see a faint tendril of energy snaking its way from each tree towards the Fallen General. Emerging from the black tree was a purple beam of light, while the green tree had an emerald line. "That doesn't look good."

"We've dawdled long enough, I'm afraid." Kar said with a smug smile. The two tendrils made contact and Kar began to bulge and swell in size in a most unnatural fashion. His torso and arms began to grow incredibly muscular and veiny - and not in a good way. His double-bladed scimitar grew in size as well, the wood of the shaft literally growing to compensate for its user's new form. He shot up in height, easily doubling in size. Miraculously, his armor and clothing seemed to grow with him, but they seemed to be straining under the effort of trying to stay in one piece. Kar's hair also seemed to grow, lengthening until his once short, militaristic haircut now resembled a flowing mane that reached the small of his back. He straightened himself and seemed to flex as he found his voice again, his tenor now far lower and more menacing than before and still tinged with that unnerving ethereal sound.

"You are welcome to try and stop me. I do love a challenge."

"Stop him!" Kizmel predictably cried out. "If he keeps draining the sacred trees, he'll be unstoppable and Aincrad will fall!"

No one needed to be told twice.

Kirito took the lead, charging in with his blade level to the ground. Kar spotted his approach and swung out with his blade. Kirito's eyes widened as he underestimated the speed at which the monstrous Fallen Elf could swing his weapon. Abandoning the attack, Kirito dropped onto his knees and leaned back, watching the edge of Kar's blade sing over and past his face.

Okay. So maybe he should have waited for the tanks.

Lesson learned.

"Shit! He's fast!" Orlando hissed out as he rolled to the side, having followed directly behind Kirito and as a result needing to dodge the attack.

"Tanks!" Lind shouted as he skidded to a stop. He pointed his blade forward. "Shielders up front! He's quick, so rotate often!"

Kirito performed a quick side-step, bringing him along Kar's left flank. With the arrival of the shielders, the Fallen's attention was momentarily divided as he assessed the new threatening shield wall. That was all the distraction Kirito needed as he quickly swung horizontally at Kar's calf. He made it a point to avoid using the actual ((Horizontal)) skill; he did not need to be caught in a cooldown against a boss he hadn't memorized the attack patterns of. Especially one so deceptively quick in its attacks.

Kar started to turn in Kirito's direction when he took a warhammer to the knee. He roared out and turned to face a smug-looking Liz, who was already bracing for the counterattack. The monstrous double-bladed scimitar screamed through the air before it impacted twice against her shield in a whirlwind of strikes. She'd braced, but clearly not enough. She tanked the first hit but was caught off guard by the speed of the second, sending her sliding back. Fortunately, Leonn was right behind her and stopped her from falling over, but neither of them were ready for the third strike that came spinning in.

However, Kizmel was.

The Pagoda Knight came out of nowhere and quickly interposed herself between the double-bladed scimitar and the Renegade tanks. As she skidded to a stop, she braced with her shield and took the third strike with little issue before lashing out with her own sword, catching Kar's hand as he pulled the weapon back. The floor boss hissed in pain and went to retaliate when the shield wall closed up, protecting the trio from further attack.

Now that Kar's attention was fully on the shield wall, Kirito edged around the side, looking to catch the boss from behind. He stopped once he saw the beam of energy separating him from the boss's backside. He could jump over it easily, so no big deal. He bent his legs and readied himself for a good leap; the damn thing was snaking and wiggling back and forth so much he needed to overcompensate on his jump if he wanted to avoid the beam entirely.

"Watch out!"

Kirito glanced over his shoulder to see Kar slam his weapon down in a vertical strike, flattening one of the tanks. The tank in question looked fine - merely dazed, really - but that wasn't what concerned Kirito the most. What concerned him most was the fact that someone behind him was on a collision course with Kirito, having dodged the strike but now finding themselves caught up in their own momentum. Kirito sighed internally.

The player in question was Lokuss.

"OOF!"

Having been caught in a compromising position, Kirito lurched forward as Lokuss slammed into his backside. He landed face-first into the stone floor, but not before moving through the beam of purple energy. He really hoped that wouldn't come back to bite him on the ass. Kirito quickly glanced up at his HUD, fully expecting his health to have taken a massive hit after passing through the energy beam.

What he did not expect was to see a status condition icon blinking under his health. He focused his attention on the icon, causing a small text box to appear within his vision.

[Lifestream of Lyusula: Taking 1% of maximum health in damage every 5 seconds. Speed increased by 25%.]

He quickly stood up and the first thing he noticed was the purple beam coming from the sacred tree feeding into him. Probably the cause of the buff. Or debuff, given that it was sapping away his health.

The second thing he noticed was that because of his accidental intervention, the beam was not going into Kar. He also noticed that the boss's movements seemed more sluggish. Deadly still, but not nearly as quick as before. He smiled as an idea came to him.

"Asuna!" Kirito shouted, trying to get his vice-leader's attention over the sound of battle.

After a moment, he spotted a familiar blur of white and red separating itself from the melee and sliding over to his side. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Kirito said as he saw her posture relax slightly. "The beam's giving me a speed buff but it's also slowly draining my health."

"Kirito!" Asuna cried out in worry.

"I'm fine!" He placated, raising his hands in an attempt to calm her. "But look, it's slowed the boss down too. Switch with me, but don't let your health get too low. I'm going to spread the word."

A look of realization crossed her face and she nodded, stepping behind him so that the beam hit her instead. Kirito watched as the status condition instantly vanished. He gave her a smile of thanks before rushing off, trying to find Lind, Kibaou, Klein, or Orlando. Lind was the first he ran into, as the DKB leader wasn't actively fighting, instead delegating and managing his portion of the raid.

"Kirito?" Lind asked, lowering his guard slightly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, but listen." Kirito said as he began to explain his discovery. Kibaou walked up, apparently curious to see what Kirito had to say. "The beams can be intercepted by players. I haven't tested both out, but the purple one has a speed buff but a slow health drain. I had Asuna intercept the purple beam."

He gestured towards his vice-leader and found himself surprised at just how fast she was now with the buff. She was already fast to begin with, but now she was blindingly so. It was like watching a bolt of lightning streak through the chamber, colliding against Kar's flank with thunderous impact. She immediately began riddling his side with rapier thrusts. At least, he assumed they were rapier thrusts; he couldn't actually see what she was stabbing him with.

"When did she get so fast?!" He heard Klein shout in surprise.

"I could barely see her! She's like lightning!" Nezha cried out, excitement in his voice.

Kirito turned back to the other guild leaders. "Now look at the boss. He's slower now."

"Shit, you're right." Kibaou muttered, a disbelieving, yet analytical look on his face. "You said there's a health drain too, Beater?"

Kirito sighed. "Yes, Kibaou. It's slowly draining her health. We should start rotating people through the beams to steal the boss's buffs. They can't stay too long or the health drain will be deadly."

"Sounds good to me." Lind remarked. He cleared his throat. "We need people to start rotating through the beams! It gives a health-draining stat buff, so don't stay too long in it!"

"Liberation Squad! Move to the side with the green beam!" Kibaou roared. He turned to glance at Lind and Kirito. "We'll take that side. Try not to get yourselves killed in the purple beam, got it?"

Soon enough, Lind had rallied the DKB to occupy the opposite side, allowing for constant rotations into the path of the purple beam without damaging any of the players too much. Every player who entered the beam was noticeably faster than before, though none could hope to match Asuna's speed, buffed or otherwise. For a moment, Kirito wondered what the green beam did until someone shouted something about a damage buff. It made sense, he supposed. The boss was not only moving more slowly but the damage of his hits seemed to have diminished. Therefore, the green beam was a damage buff, but it probably drained health just like the purple beam.

With Kar seriously hindered without the aid of the sacred tree magic, the majority of the fight went rather smoothly, if Kirito was being honest. The ALS kept the green beam occupied while the DKB kept the purple beam from hitting the boss. The Renegades, Fuurinkazan, and the Legend Braves did what they could to take the buffs when needed, but for the most part the fight was rather straightforward. Keep Kar focused on the tank wall, prevent the beams from hitting him, and just keep hitting him until he dies.

At least, that was the plan until the obligatory phase change.

Once Kar reached the halfway point on his last health bar, he let loose an ethereal roar, shaking the chamber and rattling all of the Clearers fighting. Kar took his double-bladed scimitar with both hands and snapped the hilt over his knee, breaking it into two separate scimitars that he began dual wielding. Despite the weapon's name, Kirito doubted that this separation skill wasn't something that could normally be done with your bare hands. The energy beams shooting out from the trees suddenly intensified in their strength and the two players currently using them cried out in alarm. Klein had control of the purple beam while Liten had control of the green beam.

"What the - ?" Klein stammered. "I'm losing health at 1% every second now! What happened?!"

"Same here!" Liten confirmed as she blocked Kar's twin scythes with her tower shield. She glanced over her shoulder at Kibaou. "Orders, sir?!"

Kibaou stuttered for a moment, clearly trying to find a solution to the problem. Kirito knew they didn't have much time, so he decided to intervene a little and give Kibaou an 'out.' "Kibaou, we should pull back! The beams are too deadly now; even our tanks would start dying!"

"Gah!" Kibaou shouted in frustration, shaking his head. "The Beater's right, fall back and nobody touch those beams, got it?!"

"Yes sir!" The ALS replied in response, those not in combat giving a firm salute while those engaged with the boss merely nodding in confirmation. Kirito had to hold back a scoff at how disciplined - no, trained - these players were. He could understand organization and coordination, but this seemed excessive. Rank and file seemed… unnecessary here in Aincrad.

Unfortunately, with the magic beams no longer occupied by players, they resumed their original course and collided with Kar. Kirito could see the effects of the buffs almost immediately as the Fallen General began swinging faster and stronger than before. He even seemed to glow slightly from the effects.

Kirito leapt into action, having used a health potion during his brief conversation with Kibaou. Fully healed up, the swordsman circled around the shield wall - making sure to avoid the magic beam - and began assaulting Kar's flank again. With Kar's attention focused on the tanks in front, Kirito unleashed every sword skill in the book. He knew that those beams were making him stronger and it would only be a matter of time before he overwhelmed the tanks.

Apparently he was doing too good of a job, because the next thing he knew, Kar had turned to face him and swung out with his scimitar, nailing Kirito directly in the midsection. Kirito mentally cursed himself for getting reckless as he tumbled back. A quick glance at his health confirmed that yes, he had in fact taken more than half his health in damage from that strike.

"Kirito!" He heard Asuna cry out. In an instant, his vice leader was by his side and practically shoving a health potion down his throat.

"Damn, that was stupid." Kirito admonished himself. He took hold of the potion Asuna was shoving in his face and pushed back a little. "I can drink it myself, Asuna. Thanks though."

"What happened?" She asked, worry and anger evident on her face. "Why didn't you dodge?"

"I got careless." Kirito admitted with a scowl. He drank the last of the potion and tossed the bottle to the side. "Won't happen again."

"It better not." Asuna chided him. She stared him right in the eye and placed her hands on her hips, which would have looked more intimidating if she wasn't trying to keep a grip on her rapier while doing so. However, a closer look into her eyes told Kirito one thing.

He'd be hearing about this later. Probably at length.

Great.

"He's almost down!" Lind roared. "Last push, let's go!"

Before Asuna could get another word in edgewise, Kirito sprinted forward. As he approached, he heard a mighty clang as both Kar and Leonn - the latter having apparently snuck in a parry with his maul - lurch back from the recoil of their weapons impacting against one another. Kirito smirked; he was behind the boss when he was flung back, which put him in the perfect position to ambush Kar from behind.

While he heard Liz start to scold Leonn for abusing his weapon, Kirito leapt up and plunged his sword into Kar's shoulder blade. The enhanced elf screeched out in pain - he was sounding more and more monstrous as the fight went on - as he flailed about, trying to dislodge Kirito. Unwilling to lose the advantage he had right now, Kirito grabbed onto the back of Kar's shoulder pad with his free hand and pulled his sword free. He reared back and plunged his sword again into Kar's back, this time striking close to his spine. He could swear he heard Silica shout something about being a copycat, but his attention was too focused on the fight in front of him for him to care right now. The floor boss roared once more and began to spin in place, making Kirito's grip start to slip.

"Naut! Yuna! Give me a hand with this!" Kirito heard someone cry out. The voice sounded familiar, but in the heat of the moment he couldn't quite peg who it belonged to. "Get ready!"

Kirito grit his teeth as he desperately tried to keep hold, but the spinning ultimately proved too much to handle and the Renegade leader went flying. As he felt his body hurtling to the side, he felt something wrap around his waist, then pull suddenly. His body jerked to the side, pulled by this unseen force.

He looked up and saw that Lokuss, with the help of Nautilus and Yuna, had latched onto Kirito while he was midair with that damned grapple of his. Lokuss was now swinging Kirito around, using Nautilus and Yuna as extra anchorage as they held on tightly to the loremaster. Kirito could only look on in amazement as he was swung around, completely baffled as to how Lokuss had caught him mid-air, not to mention how this risky maneuver was even working in the first place. At one point, Kirito had to lean his head back or risk scraping his face against the ground; as impressive as this was, Lokuss and his human anchors were too close to the ground compared to Kirito's previous elevation, so it was a miracle he hadn't swung low and crashed into the stone floor at this point.

"Get ready, Kirito!" Lokuss shouted, his voice strained. As Kirito felt himself swing around and back towards the boss, he felt the tension in the grapple loosen. "Now!"

Catching onto what Lokuss had in mind, Kirito brought his sword to bear as he rocketed towards Kar, who was still thrashing about against the shielders with his twin scimitars. The Fallen General looked up at the last second, just before Kirito impacted. Even though this floor boss was an NPC, Kirito could clearly see the surprise and fear plastered on his face.

Kirito grinned smugly as he slammed into the general's chest, sword point first. As he impacted, he could feel his body lurch and flatten itself from the sudden change in momentum. The sudden stop was brief, however, as Kirito felt Kar's body give out from underneath him when his body exploded into blue polygons. As Kar's body dissipated, a monstrous roar of pain echoed through the chamber.

*THUD*

Kirito hit the floor unceremoniously and collapsed onto the stonework beneath him. He wasn't sure if he was impressed with Lokuss or angry at having been used as a human slingshot. In any case, he stood and looked up, breathing a sigh of relief at the message hovering over his head.

[Congratulations!]

"Dude!" Klein exclaimed, running up to Kirito and helping him up. "That was crazy! You're crazy!"

Kirito immediately raised his hands. "It wasn't my idea! Lokuss was the one who decided to slingshot me. I had no say in this!"

"Well still!" Klein said, grinning ear to ear. "That maneuver took balls, man!"

Kirito felt someone smack his arm. He looked over to see an irate Asuna and mentally braced himself for the verbal onslaught.

"What the hell was that?!" His vice-leader shouted, jabbing a finger into his shoulder with every other word. "I thought you said you weren't going to be reckless!"

"Again, not my idea!" Kirito tried to defend himself. He felt a strong hand clasp his shoulder.

"That was incredible, my friend." Kizmel said, giving his shoulder a squeeze before letting go. She looked over her shoulder. "And my compliments to you as well, Lokuss, for thinking up such an incredibly dangerous yet effective attack."

"'Incredibly' doesn't even begin to describe it…" Asuna grumbled under her breath. Kirito heard, though, and part of his fear softened at her concern. Part of it.

That girl still scared him.

"Thanks Kizmel!" Lokuss replied nervously before quickly turning his attention to Kirito. "So, what'd you get? You must have gotten the last attack bonus, right?"

Just then, a window opened up in front of him, displaying that he had, indeed, won the last attack bonus. He hoped it was a sword, but was thoroughly disappointed to see that it was not. However, he couldn't help but smirk when he saw the name of the item he picked up.

Oh, the irony.

He equipped the item, replacing his existing ((Coat of Midnight)). It was a coat similar to his old one, but this one had a brown leather strap holding the cloak together and the shoulders were a blue studded leather. It had significantly better armor value compared to his previous coat, and the only gripe he had about it was that the shoulders were blue instead of black.

Okay, maybe Argo was right. Maybe he was a little edgy.

"It's a new chestpiece." Kirito explained, biting back a laugh. "It's called ((Overcoat of the Renegade Elf))."

There was silence for a moment as everyone let that information sink in. Lokuss was the first to break out into hysterics, with Kizmel and Asuna not far behind. Even Kirito eventually gave in to the laughter.

"Hah!" Leonn guffawed, strolling up alongside Liz and Sinon. "Now I'm convinced Kayaba's watching us and changing the game as we go along. Between that and Sinon's ((Bullbous Bow)), I'm starting to envy his mastery of puns."

"You know I'm not using that bow anymore, right?" Sinon deadpanned.

Leonn shrugged. "It was the only example I could think of."

Once the laughter died down, an uneasy silence passed over everyone. Kirito looked around to see that the rest of the Clearers had moved onto the next floor already, leaving Kizmel and Lokuss with the Renegades, alone. No one was really sure what to do now. All of the humans knew what came next. They'd move on to the 10th floor and continue their journey up Aincrad to freedom.

And they'd be leaving Kizmel behind.

"So… uhh…" Silica stammered, clasping her hands behind her back nervously as she idly kicked at the ground. She didn't even look up to meet anyone's eyes. "... What now?"

"Now, we move on… I guess." Geeou said, looking no less joyful than his younger companion.

"Why are you all sad?" Kizmel asked, clearly not understanding the repercussions of what came next. "We have defeated a mighty foe and have saved Aincrad from an untimely and violent death. Best of all, no one died in the battle!"

"That's true…" Asuna began, managing some semblance of a smile. Kirito saw right through it, though. "It's just… we know with the Fallen defeated you'll probably go back to Mythath Nevae while we keep climbing Aincrad."

"Oh." Kizmel said, realization dawning on her features. "You are worried that this is goodbye."

The Renegades collectively nodded.

"Champions!"

Everyone turned to see Queen Illise and King Erlan enter the chamber through the doors, escorted by an entourage of soldiers from both sides. The Queen gave a grateful smile and while the King did as well, there was still that hesitation. He didn't know them, but it was clear he respected them nonetheless.

"I must thank you for putting an end to this heinous plot." Illise said, giving a nod of appreciation. "Had you not acted, we would have all surely perished."

"Indeed." Erlan agreed, crossing his arms. He seemed to be looking over the group assembled with an appraising eye. "Though it is unfortunate that the sacred trees were damaged in the battle."

Kirito turned to look at the trees in question and only now noticed that their color looked somewhat faded.

"I'm afraid it will be some time until they are healthy once again." Erlan elaborated, glancing over at Illise knowingly. "It would seem both our peoples failed in their goals, Illise."

The Queen gave a knowing smile. "It would appear that is the case, Erlan. With the damage done, I see no reason to continue squabbling like this, don't you agree?"

Kirito almost scoffed. It wasn't perfect, but it was clear what both leaders intended. Illise had practically admitted that she wanted to end the war, and implied that Erlan felt the same. Now, with General Kar's actions as an excuse, not to mention Kar himself the perfect scapegoat, they'd be able to broker peace between their factions. It was sort of brilliant, now that he thought about it. If the sacred trees were 'no longer able to give their magic' because of battle damage, then the Forest Elves would have no reason to attempt to take magic back, at least not until such time as they were healthy again. The Dark Elves would be satisfied knowing that the Forest Elves were no longer plotting on breaking in and killing them all. It was a win-win, politically speaking anyway.

He silently hoped that, as leader of the Renegades, he would never have to play politics like that.

"In any case, I believe a celebration is in order." Illise suggested. Erlan was quick to agree. "As a token of our thanks to our human allies, perhaps you would join us for a Teuivae Quar'atri?"

"Pardon?" Yuna asked politely.

Kizmel looked like she was about to say something when Lokuss beat her to it. "A Teuivae Quar'atri, or moonlight dance, is a formal celebration of the Dark Elves. It's like a formal gala or ballroom dance. It's how the Dark Elves celebrate after a victory."

"I see." Kirito muttered. He supposed the Renegades were overdue for some rest and relaxation, after all. They'd been working on this quest line almost nonstop since they arrived here on the 9th floor, and even Kirito could admit he was starting to feel mentally drained. He glanced over in Asuna's direction. "What do you think, Asuna? We could use some R&R."

There was no response. Kirito looked right at her, only to see her red in the face and staring at him with the most curious of expressions on her face. "... Asuna?"

"Y-yes?!" The fencer stammered out, quickly averting her gaze. "I-I think it's a great idea! I mean, it's a good idea. We could use some rest."

What was that?

"We will hold it in two days time at Mythath Nevae." Illise declared. She looked over at Erlan. "Are there any objections to Lyusula hosting this celebration?"

Erland shook his head. "None at all. It simply means the people of Kales'Oh can feast on your food stores with wild abandon!"

Erlan gave a hearty laugh, which was shared by none around except those Forest Elves who'd escorted him into the chamber. It was a step in the right direction, at least. The NPC royalty then began to walk out of the chamber, talking between themselves. Kizmel was left with the Renegades (and Lokuss) alone once again.

"I suppose this isn't goodbye then." Kizmel said with a smile. "Not yet, at least."

"Nope." Kirito said with a smile. "We'll be there. Anything we should know before arriving?"

"It is a formal affair, so I recommend dressing formally." Kizmel explained. "There will be food, dancing, and much mingling and socializing. It should be a fairly relaxing event, despite the dress code, but I think you will all enjoy it."

Shortly afterward, Kizmel left to join the Queen while the Renegades (and Lokuss) moved on to the 10th floor, feeling significantly better. They'd be back very soon for a night that was sure to be fun, if not elegant and interesting. It was then, and only then, that Kirito realized why Asuna looked so red in the face earlier. His own face started to feel a little flush too, now realizing what exactly he'd signed everybody up for. It was something he'd avoided in school in the real world, after all, and now he was expected to take a leading role in it.

He'd signed them all up for a dance.

Kirito felt a tap on his shoulder. Caught off guard by the sudden interruption to his train of thought, he wheeled around to see Geeou standing behind him with a smirk.

"Good job on the boss, but that only counts as one. You know that, right?"

"You still lost, though." Kirito reminded him.

"That's fair, I guess. Dinner's on me tonight, guys!"

A/N:

I sometimes draw inspiration for these boss fights and game mechanics from actual games I've played in the past, so if you recognized the boss mechanics of this fight, you automatically win some brownie points. I like to sneak in little easter eggs and/or cameos in like that from time to time.

Next chapter we get to see the Renegades relax a little! I had a lot of fun writing the next chapter and as much as I would love to double post and give it to you all now, I don't want to exhaust my backlog of chapters and have to panic-write to keep up with a weekly posting schedule. Nobody wants to read panic-written stuff.

Anyhoo, as always, feel free to leave a review if you liked what you read! I appreciate your feedback and genuinely enjoy reading each and every review. Sure, it's shameless gratification and validation, but I like it anyway, alright?

See you all next week!