Silence reigned in the KoB war room.

Alice looked around the large table, eyes wandering and scanning over the faces of those present. Divine Dragon Alliance. Resolute Renegades. Knights of Blood. Even smaller guilds like the Sleeping Knights were here; the topic of today's meeting was so heavy that all fighters needed to be present. An unspoken tension hung in the air, and no one was overly eager to address the elephant in the room.

Her eyes drifted towards her commander. Heathcliff, ever the silent and stoic figurehead, simply stared ahead, as if his mind was elsewhere. One could be forgiven for mistaking his stoic nature for aloofness, but she knew better. Even if he didn't outwardly display it, he would not be here if he did not care. Too bad he didn't seem to be the commanding presence he was during their debut. Those days had long since passed.

She sighed; it seemed she was going to have to be the one to start the conversation. She was going to have to be the one that took the lead. Again.

Great.

Alice stood from her seat, and immediately all eyes focused on her. "Shall we begin?"

A hushed murmur of consent washed over the meeting hall, soft echoes bouncing off the granite walls of Bastion's largest room. She glanced over towards Heathcliff, who only answered with a nod of his head.

"As you know, we've finally reached the Floor Boss of the 75th Floor. Thanks to the Sleeping Knights, we've found the boss chambers and are ready to proceed." Alice began, giving a nod towards Yuuki. The purplette beamed and gave a thumbs up, which did help to dispel some of the tension in the room. "Argo, what do we know so far?"

The infamous info broker – and her assistant – came out from the shadows and sported that mischievous grin. "If ya open up to page 611 of the newest edition of my guide, you can follow along. In short, the boss is called ((The Skull Reaper)). Big ol' bone baddie, from what I can tell. Poison effects probably aren't gonna work 'ere. Sorry, Sil-chan."

Silica, in turn, harrumphed while the newly-resurrected Fafnir visibly pouted.

"Based on some of the flavor quests on this floor, this thin' has two bone scythe claws for hands and a deadly tail, because why the fuck not." Argo rolled her eyes, clearly exasperated with how needlessly dangerous this thing was. "Which means yer gonna need ta be careful when flankin' this thin'."

"At least not without three tanks, I assume." Lind offered.

Argo gave a sort of half-shrug in consideration. "Probably. No idea how hard this thin' hits, so be careful. I'm guessin' it's gonna look pretty fucked-up, too. Lok finished a quest that described the beast as, and I quote, "having crawled out from the depths of hell, the sound of its many legs the stuff of mankind's nightmares"."

"Lovely." Alice deadpanned. "What else, Argo?"

"That's about all I know without goin' into the boss chambers myself." Argo sighed. "It's like there's less and less info we can find as we get higher up."

"Well, we knew it wasn't going to get easier…" Klein muttered, and many heads around the table nodded sagely in agreement.

"With that in mind, we need to discuss the scouting group." Alice interjected, trying to bring the conversation back on track. "Do we have any volunteers?"

Lind stood up. "The Divine Dragon Alliance wishes to assist with the scouting effort, but we aren't willing to go alone."

"That goes without saying." Asuna said, her features stern but not hostile. "I mean no offense by that, and I'm not suggesting that you'll pull a Kibaou, but a diverse scouting group is always a better idea."

"Agreed." Lind nodded. "And no offense taken."

Rarely was a scouting group composed only of one guild's members. Ever since the disaster of Floor 25, no guild would be caught dead going alone. Doing so would be a public relations nightmare; one of the smaller frontline guilds volunteered to do so in the past and was almost immediately ridiculed and scorned for taking unnecessary risks.

"We'll send some of our knights to fight alongside you, Lind." Heathcliff spoke up, meeting the DDA leader's eyes and giving a curt nod.

"We'll go, too!" Yuuki exclaimed. "We found the chamber, so we're gonna help out too."

"Excellent." Alice said. "That should be enough for a solid scouting group. Now, let's discuss your party compositions and formations…"

The Plaza of Beginnings – which was merely the plaza in the Town of Beginnings, but shortened for ease – was uncharacteristically silent. Even the food merchants and souvenir peddlers were more hushed and muted in their advertisements. Argo couldn't blame them one iota.

Floor 50 wasn't too bad, all things considered. It was still a nightmare and people had died, but at least it wasn't the massacre that was Floor 25.

No one talked about Floor 25.

Floor 75 was such a mystery shrouded in an enigma that she could help but fear for the scouting group. Hopefully they would be able to scout out its attack patterns without incurring any losses. She doubted this boss played nice.

Spotting her favorite Renegades – which was all of them, really – she snuck up behind Kirito and Asuna before slinging her arms around their shoulders. "Hey…what's happenin'?"

They both turned their heads and stared at her with the most deadpan expression she'd ever seen, which only served to make her snicker under her breath. "Alright, fair. Just thought I'd try to lighten the mood a lil'."

Kirito sighed before giving a tired smile. "Thanks, Argo. We're just a little anxious, that's all."

"I'm worried about Yuuki and the Knights." Asuna confessed, referencing the Sleeping Knights and the purple-haired tornado that led them.

"Ah relax, Aa-chan." Argo nudged her shoulder. "The Knights and the DDA are the second wave. The KoB volunteered to lead the charge and swap out when needed. Tha's a much better role than the schmucks who go in first."

"I suppose…" Asuna looked somewhat placated, at least.

The screens blipped into existence above the central fountain, just as they had so many more times previously. If she thought the plaza couldn't get any quieter before, she was dead wrong now. Nearby, the guild known as ((Citizen Strategists)) – a small guild, but boy were they clever as all hell – brought out their notes and stood poised and ready to write down every miniscule detail that appeared on screen.

Kirito and Asuna immediately snapped to attention, their focus now on the broadcast. Meanwhile, Argo couldn't help but notice little Yui looking like she'd just seen a ghost.

"Ya alright there, Yui-chan?" Argo asked, and the A.I.'s parents took note as well.

Yui gulped before slamming her eyes shut. "I can't watch."

Argo felt bad for the little artificial intelligence; the little tyke probably knew all the ins and outs of this particular boss and had been effectively blackmailed and forbidden from saying anything. That seemed to be a recurring theme in the little therapist's life, she realized. Having all the power and capability for solving so many problems, but unable to act on it. Yet, this time, she looked downright horrified.

Just how bad was it going to be?

"There they go." Alice's voice rang out, despite her tone not having raised much at all. The crowd was just that silent.

Clearly visible on the screen overhead, ten figures ran into the pitch-black room, and Argo immediately noted a few things. Firstly, the boss room was less of a room and more of a floating circular platform suspended in a seemingly endless cavern. Secondly, there was no terrain or cover to speak of on said platform, which meant if this boss had any form of ranged attacks, they'd be screwed. Thirdly…

"Where's the boss?" Nautilus asked nearby. "There's nothing there!"

Then the door disappeared.

"WHAT?!" Klein shouted, and his sentiment was echoed by thousands of others.

"The door's gone!"

"How are they going to get out?!"

"They've got teleport crystals, right?"

"We sent them to their deaths." Kirito gasped, his eyes wide open and his face pale with horrific realization.

"Anyone have eyes on the boss?" Alice asked.

Argo's eyes darted to and fro, thinking that there might be some trick to it. Camouflage? Unlikely; there were no spare bones lying around so it wasn't as if the boss was going to come up from under their feet. Similar thoughts of the creature digging up from under were also dashed when she spotted empty space underneath the platform. Unless the thing could fly, there was no reason why it would approach from the sides. Which left only –

Asuna gasped, and everyone around her flinched. "Above!"

A moment later, an absolutely eldritch creature – indeed, the stuff of nightmares – descended on the unsuspecting group. The only way Argo could describe it was an amalgamation of dead creatures. The skull of some sort of four-eyed humanoid. The jawbones of a dog, only with four of them arranged like mandibles. The long spine and ribcage of a snake. The whip-like tail of a lizard. The legs of a centipede, if centipedes had bones. The chittering hissing sound it released sent shivers up her spine.

Just what was Kayaba on when he made this thing?!

What followed was a nightmare. With the doors gone and teleport crystals unable to function – a fact they discovered very early on when one of the KoB scouts attempted to retreat to safety – the entire plaza was forced to witness a massacre not unlike that of the 25th. The ((Skull Reaper)) was a boss whose speed belied its size, and its scythe-like claws were capable of one-shotting most players. At some point during the fighting, the KoB scouts had decided to stop fighting and start evading. Futilely, given the impossibility of escape.

It was like watching a train wreck. Argo couldn't tear her eyes away.

"Can't we do something?!" Somebody cried out.

"What exactly do you suggest?!" Godfree snapped, his face pained and tear-filled. "I'd love nothing more than to rush in there and rescue them, but there's no way to get in! The door's gone! If there was a way in, the other half of the scouting group would have barged in by now!"

"So we have to sit here and watch them die?!"

"Yes." Heathcliff said, face looking solemn. "As painful as it is, we must. If we learn something from their struggle, their deaths will not have been in vain. So watch we must. Looking away only serves to dishonor their sacrifices."

And so, for the next 15 torturous minutes, the thousands of players assembled on the 1st Floor did just that. Despite their hearts screaming at them to do otherwise, they did the only thing they could do.

They watched as ((The Skull Reaper)) gleefully dismembered the scouting group, its massive bladed claws tearing them life from limb. After the initial panic and realization passed, the scouting group fought with a renewed fervor. If she had to guess, they came to the conclusion that there was no way out, and the best thing they could do right now was fight their hardest. Like Heathcliff said, any information they could provide through the broadcast would help during the final raid.

By the time the doors reopened – to the horror-stricken faces of the DDA and Sleeping Knight half of the scouting party – the KoB scouting group was gone, reduced to pixels, the remnants of their valiant last stand rapidly fading away with each passing second.

The plaza was just as silently horrified, as they all came to the same haunting realization. The training wheels were well and truly off. Scouting groups would no longer cut it.

From now on, each and every Floor Boss was do or die.

Kirito, like the rest of humanity, feared the unknown.

Yes, there were those few who enjoyed exploring it, but deep down inside he knew that the enjoyment was misattributed. It was not the act of exploring the unknown that was enjoyable, it was the adrenaline rush that came with it. The unknown was scary because one did not know with absolute certainty that what awaited them would not be the last thing they ever saw.

Yet, somehow, knowing just how deadly the 75th Floor Boss was did not make this any easier.

"Everything's gonna be fine."

Kirito came out of his daze upon hearing the comforting voice of his wife. He looked over and couldn't help but smile, just as she did.

"I won't let anything happen to you. Promise." She finished, a slight blush upon her cheeks. "Make sure you protect me too, okay?"

"Yeah. You know I will."

In truth, everyone in this dark, dank chamber was just as scared as he was. The poor lighting from the torch sconces nearby did little to help with visibility, but he could see others around them taking solace in each others' company, comforting each other before the coming storm.

Fourinkazan (a play on words that many in the guild latched onto) and Kuroi were standing around shooting the breeze, but there was that underlying tension that pervaded the group. They knew what was coming. Klein, having recently (and finally!) entered a relationship with Kuroi, was standing there with clasped hands with the ninja as both tried to comfort the other with their presence.

Nautilus and Yuna were not too far off to the side, strategizing with Silica and Lokuss. The ladies were undoubtedly discussing support rotations while the men were discussing the finer points of swordplay, theorizing the best ways to attack a rampaging skeleton monster. Standing to the side, listening but not really participating, were Nezha, Beowulf, and Sortiliena.

Agil was standing near Leonn, Liz, Liten, and Sinon. None of them were talking, but seemed to just be taking comfort being near each other. That was readily apparent with how Liz was glued to her boyfriend's side, but the other three seemed to be sticking near the couple out of solidarity nevertheless.

Ronye and Tiese were with the Cats, with the latter three trying to calm the former two. Ronye and Tiese were still relatively new to the clearing effort, so they could hardly be blamed for feeling a bit of dread right now; the offer was extended for the duo to sit this one out, but they stubbornly refused to stand aside while their senpais fought for their lives.

"Everyone ready?" Heathcliff asked, taking an uncharacteristic leaderlike role. Then again, given how Alice was too preoccupied trying to maintain composure with Geeou, that was to be expected. "Remember the strategy meeting. Apart from Liten and and Leonn, myself and the KoB will be taking on the majority of the tanking in this fight. In the meantime, the rest of you will take your time… acclimate to its attack patterns before ultimately engaging."

Heathcliff scanned over the room. Kirito was reminded of the way he'd made his mark on the Assault Team when the KoB first joined, how his commanding presence demanded respect and attention. A welcome callback.

"I won't lie. This battle will be hard, but I have faith that we can and will prevail."

Heathcliff's posture straightened and his face took on a steely expression. There he was. That was the Heathcliff the Assault Team so desperately needed. It was nice to have him back.

"For our day of liberation!"

He was met with a resounding cheer, and Kirito felt his spirit lift. While Alice was a formidable and inspiring commander, there was something different about Heathcliff. Like he was the one in charge, and there was no contending with that inscrutable fact.

*CREAK!*

The doors swung open, the groaning sound of stone on stone punctuating the permanence of what they were about to do. Kirito exchanged glances with Klein and Agil, who happened to be the nearest his position out of the entire guild.

"Don't die." Kirito warned.

"Heh. Same to you, buddy." Klein grinned. He nodded over towards Kuroi, who stood at his right. "You too. Don't you die on me."

Kuroi merely nodded, but Kirito saw a faint blush on her cheeks.

"At least I'll make a fortune off today's drops." Agil joked, which was enough to get a few chuckles from those around. "No way am I missin' out on that."

"Forward to battle!" Heathcliff roared, and the Assault Team charged in as one force, instantly spreading out around the perimeter of the platform. The only ones who moved to the center were Heathcliff and Liten; everyone saw the way ((The Skull Reaper)) dropped in from the ceiling, and it was decided that only those with the highest defense would bait the boss down.

The doors disappeared. This was it.

"Here it comes!" Klein shouted, hand on the hilt of his katana. "Shit, he's ugly!"

With that disgusting chittering screech, ((The Skull Reaper)) fell from the ceiling and slammed into Heathcliff and Liten's tower shields. The two held fast for a moment and looked ready to counterattack, only for the boss to whip around them and skitter over towards the rest of the raid group.

"He's fast!" Geeou hissed.

"How are we supposed to get close enough to hit the damn thing?!" Agil exclaimed.

((The Skull Reaper)) scurried in front of a player from the DDA, sweeping with its scythe arms. The blue-clad player attempted to block, but was summarily swept aside before dying instantly. Another scythe blade reared back, ready to skewer another DDA player.

"Look out!" Kirito shouted, already dashing towards the intended victim. Asuna was at his side, her rapier already poised to help. He jumped forward and caught the bone blade between his two swords in a hastily executed ((Cross Block)).

Damn, it was strong!

He felt the blade cut into his shoulder for a second before Asuna lent her blade to the block and broke the stalemate. Just like what they did against the ((Fatal Scythe)) boss they ran into under Floor 1, actually. The boss reared its second blade back and swung, only to get caught on Heathcliff's shield.

"Tanks, block its sides!" Alice shouted. "Everyone else, flank it and attack!"

That seemed to rally the raid and spur them into action. Kirito ran forward, his wife ever by his side, as the two readied their quickest sword skills. As their blades began to glow with the telltale indicators of a sword skill ready to launch, he began to strategize. They needed to focus on quick attacks; this boss was terrifyingly fast, and – given the one-shot casualties thus far – there was absolutely no room for error. They could not afford to gamble on sword skills with longer recovery periods. Doing so would be tantamount to suicide in this fight.

They needed to fight smarter, not harder.

Their sword skills struck true, and the couple leaped backward just in time to dodge a retaliatory strike of the boss's skeletal barbed tail as it scurried around to attack others. Kirito winced at the impact as the tail lodged itself into the crimson rock below, and almost yelped in surprise as it was just as violently ripped out. He had no time to process this, though, because before he knew it, the boss was already running his way again. He was forced to dive to the side or receive two bone blades to the torso.

The sound of shattering glass behind him frightened him for a moment before Asuna assured him that, yes, he was still very much alive.

"Damn you!" Agil shouted, and Kirito noticed two more clouds of pixels wafting up from either side of the massive axeman.

Great. Even its creepy scurrying was a hazard. Then again, each of its dozens – he sincerely hoped it didn't reach into triple digits – of legs were effectively boney blades themselves. The trick was not to get stabbed by them as its blender-like feet carried it across the battlefield.

Kirito's eyes darted to the left, where one of the slower DDA tanks was picking himself up after having been tossed to the side by another boney stampede. A look of horror mounted on both his and Kirito's faces as they both came to the conclusion that ((The Skull Reaper)) was on a direct course.

"Move!" Kirito shouted, already speeding towards the poor fool. He reached him just in time to deflect one boney scythe with a well-timed ((Diagonal)). It was amazing how important the basics were in a life-or-death situation.

Asuna came rocketing in, slamming into the boss's face with a ((Linear)) before zipping away like a bolt of lightning. Like a living arc of electricity, she zig-zagged her way under and along the length of the boss, striking out at several legs before she ultimately shot out the side. Her fall was less than graceful, however, having spent many of her sword skills in a row thanks to ((Arcing Lightning)).

"Fucker won't hold still!" Lokuss cursed as he attempted to swipe at one of its legs as it passed by.

"I can try taunting it!" Liten yelled.

"No, don't!" Kirito shouted. ((Taunting Shout)) was a skill that one could learn, but it was rarely used in boss fights due to how dangerous it was. Provided the skill landed successfully, it forced the target to focus all attacks on the taunter for the next 15 seconds. Few tanks could withstand a focused onslaught that long against a boss, and this boss was the poster child for 'taunting is a bad idea.'

A red pulse of energy rippled out from Liten, either having ignored him or not having heard him in time. Kirito's heart sank as he saw ((The Skull Reaper)) blatantly stop its assault and barrel towards Liten.

There was no way she'd survive this.

*CRUNCH!*

Leonn's eyes widened as he stared into the abyss, a dark chasm of bone and broken dreams.

Specifically, down the boney gullet of ((The Skull Reaper)). Realizing Liten had just made a horrible mistake, he'd dropped his maul and stood protectively in front of his fellow tank and braced for impact. Apparently the boss intended to swallow her whole, because the next thing he knew, he was holding the monster's jaws open with his hands courtesy of ((Clash)).

The position of his hands and head were, admittedly, less than ideal.

This was why he never wanted to go into dentistry.

*CLANG!*

*CLANG!*

Struggling against the weight of a gargantuan skull threatening to chomp down on his face, Leonn spared a glance on either side. Heathcliff and Liten had successfully intercepted ((The Skull Reaper))'s scythe arms from turning him into chunky salsa while he was occupied with its face.

Thank goodness for teammates.

"Move in! Now!" Asuna barked, and the raid answered with roars of their own.

As the rest of the raid converged on the momentarily-stunned ((Skull Reaper)), Leonn focused his efforts on holding the damn thing in place. He grit his teeth as he felt the boss's own boney jaw clamping down. It was strong. Almost too strong, but he'd felt the overwhelming might of a boss that was out of his league before. He could do this. This was no ((Fatal Scythe)). This was manageable.

His muscles – virtual though they may be – cried out for release as he mentally counted down from 10. A shuriken, courtesy of Kuroi, flew past his vision and embedded itself down the boss's gullet. The effect was twofold; it likely dealt a critical amount of damage, but it also diverted his own attention just enough for him to lose his footing for a moment. His greaves slipped for all of a second and he slid back before he felt Agil's massive hands steady him from behind.

"I got you, man." Agil's deep bass said. "I'll get you out of here afterward. Now push!"

Letting loose a roar, Leonn shoved, overpowering ((The Skull Reaper)) before slamming its massive jaw into the ground, dazing it for a second and breaking the ((Clash)). Immediately, Leonn felt the energy leave his body. Fortunately, as promised, Agil was there to pick him up in a fireman's carry and run away from the danger.

As his vision bobbed up and down from his hasty retreat from across Agil's shoulders, Leonn looked back at the battle. Geeou and Alice – the latter having his blade replaced ever since losing it against ((The Fatal Scythe)) – were fighting just as smoothly and seamlessly as another notable frontline couple. Alice, with her heavy armor, was a slower fighter than her fellow blonde and as such was taking to deflecting more often than not. Geeou, on the other hand, was much more agile and nimble due to his comparatively lighter armor, and was able to capitalize on the opportunities the KoB vice-lead provided.

His eyes drifted over towards his fellow main tanks. Liten had forsaken all offense in favor of intercepting attacks against other people, interposing herself between the boss and its victims at every opportunity. Her tower shield was taking a beating, as was her health, but she stayed vigilant in her protection of others. He felt a twinge of pride; despite her somewhat timid nature and her clear trauma over losing Shivata those many months ago, she kept moving forward and kept prioritizing the safety of others. Probably in the hopes that fewer people under her watch would suffer her lost lover's fate.

Heathcliff, on the other hand, was the epitome of calm and concentration. His expression was almost emotionless as he sped forward – an impressive feat given his heavy armor – to block attacks and retaliate. Yet, through it all, his health hardly wavered. In fact, he was the only player alive right now who was still solidly in the green.

What was most peculiar, however, were the glances Alice was making towards Heathcliff when she had the opportunity. Something was weighing heavily on her mind.

Finally shaking off the last dregs of his debuff, Leonn picked up his maul and rushed back into the fray. He idly noticed another player, this time from the KoB, go flying off to the side from an errant tail swipe and subsequently die upon impact with the ground. He grit his teeth and charged back in, maul swinging as he used his body to absorb blows meant for other players.

A chittering screech resounded out from the boss as it reared back and roared at them.

This wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

"I can't watch!"

Suguha stared at Sulinea incredulously as the blonde covered her eyes. "Look, I get that it's scary. It's terrifying. But look! They're fine! Alice has his back."

"Yeah!" Alice's younger sister Selka exclaimed in agreement, pumping her fist in the air. It was quite the dichotomy, given how prim and proper the younger girl was dressed. She went to an all-girls academy, if Suguha remembered correctly. "Eugeo's got nothing to worry about! They're kicking serious butt!"

"Suli, hon', do you want another soda?" Trish called out from the bar.

The Dicey Cafe was packed to the brim full of those even associated with the Resolute Renegades. Every family was in attendance… even the Yuukis, much to Suguha's continued surprise. Mr. Yuuki and Kouichirou seemed to be taking the stress of the situation well enough in hand, but Mrs. Yuuki was blanched white with terror. Her expression was about as calm and collected as she'd come to expect from the Yuuki matriarch, but between her paler-than-normal complexion and the fear in her eyes, it was clear just how much the battle was affecting her.

"Make it two!" Shinichi answered. Soon enough, two sodas slid over across the counter; the fanboy caught them without looking and with a surprising amount of dexterity. He must have caught her gaze and surmised why she looked so confused. "What? I'm a gamer. Of course I'm gonna have some hand-eye coordination. Just because I'm not the reigning kendo champ doesn't mean –"

"Okay, sorry!" Suguha chuckled. "Just wasn't expecting it, that's all."

"Shh!" Ren shushed them all, pointing at the screen. "Can't hear the TV!"

She noted the ominous red number displayed at the bottom right corner of the screen. A glaring number 10 was shown in the corner, representing how many casualties the Assault Team had suffered thus far.

Rather than watch the stream directly, this time they were all watching it via a news channel. Some time ago, several media outlets began to show the stream footage live whenever there was a boss battle, and they would often have screen elements as well as running commentary from professional gamers or strategists. Ironically enough, those with commentators who weren't overly chatty were the channels most people watched. The professional insight was appreciated, but too much of it tended to distract from the main show, so to speak.

" – looking dicey, if I'm being honest." A professional gamer named 'Yamikaze' commented, his voice grim as it came through the television speakers. Meanwhile, Asuna rolled out of the way of a particularly heavy blade attack before she dashed back in. "Those with AGI builds are better off right now since they can avoid that thing's attacks, but they've sacrificed power for speed. It's going to take a while to whittle it down at this rate."

"AGI builds are generally a good idea, but yeah I'd have to agree." The second commentator, gamer tag 'XeXeeD' said. On screen was Alice, who struck a particularly nasty blow on the boss's ribcage before scrambling away. "On the other hand, players like Agil and Alice have the STR to deal some serious damage but without a way to mitigate their incoming damage, they're forced to play it safe."

"Can you blame them, though?" Yamikaze asked as Agil deflected a tail strike, but not without taking a heavy blow to the shoulder. "Have you seen how hard that thing hits? Even the main tanks are having to pace themselves."

"Yeah, unless you're one of the big three tanks." XeXeeD scoffed. "Frankly, I'm surprised Liten can keep up with the likes of Heathcliff and Leonn. Both of those guys have Unique Skills that give them the edge, but all Liten has going for her is gear."

"Man, Heathcliff's barely taken any damage!" Shinichi threw his hands up. "That Unique Skill of his is so broken!"

"Probably a good thing, too." Kouichirou spoke up from a nearby table. "The last thing they need right now is a squishy tank."

"Fair enough." Shinichi shrugged. "They're doing pretty well, all things considered. They've only lost 11 people so far."

"That's eleven people who are never going home, dude." Ren said, immediately bringing the mood down and reminding them of the gravity of the situation.

"...Right. Sorry."

"It's fine. Just don't forget this is real. That's what my brother forgot, and look where it got him." Ren sighed.

Another chittering roar brought their conversation – as well as that of the commentators – to a halt. ((The Skull Reaper)) almost seemed to slide along the platform as it snaked its way through the battlefield. Those caught in its path had to dive to the side or risk becoming mincemeat under its rib-leg-things. The clang of blades hitting shields rang out as those who could blocked the onslaught of boney blades before the boss kept moving along. Part of the issue, Suguha realized about this boss, was that it rarely stayed in one place. Half the time, the raid was in active pursuit. The only advantage they held was that when it was in one place, the length of its body allowed almost the entirety of the raid to attack at once without risking injury between themselves.

She caught a glimpse of the healthbar of the ((Skull Reaper)). Three bars left. They almost had it.

Hopefully without any more casualties.

Sinon felt a bead of virtual sweat drip down her forehead. She fought off the urge to sweep it away. She couldn't afford any delays right now. Not now, with the fate of the Assault Team on the line. Technically the fate of thousands of players, she realized.

Every shot counted.

*THWIP!*

She loosed, and the arrow found its mark at the base of the tail. In truth, she could have aimed elsewhere. No matter where she aimed, it would damage the boss; she knew that much. The eyes might have been a good choice, but trying to blind a 4-eyes skeletal abomination seemed an exercise in futility and a great way to waste time. She could aim at the scythes, but frankly they were moving entirely too fast, and an errant shot might hit a player instead.

No, instead she focused her fire on the base of the ((Skull Reaper))'s tail, which was sitting comfortably higher than the heads of the players. She knew that, like many weapons in this game, everything had a breaking point.

Her gaze focused, and she could see spider web-like cracks already forming at the base of the tail. She took a deep breath and drew another arrow, shifting her stance to a wider one in preparation for one of her stronger shots, ((Magnum)). A simple skill, but a powerful one that let her charge up a single shot. The longer she held against the strain of her bowstring, the stronger the shot, and right now, she needed an arrow that would pack a punch. She held the charge for at least 10 seconds, which was long enough where she could hear her own bow groaning from the strain.

She exhaled, then let the arrow fly.

*FWOOM!*

The glowing shot hit the base of the tail and almost seemed to strain against the obstacle. Just as the light was fading – a sign that the skill was finishing – the sound of shattering bone filled the air. The ((Skull Reaper)) let out something akin to a cry of pain before shooting forward, as if spurred by the powerful attack to its hindquarters. When it did, it left behind an interesting souvenir.

Its tail.

The segment of bladed tail fell to the floor like a sack of potatoes. She felt a little guilty at how those underneath it had to quickly dive out of the way or be crushed by a large segment of spine. At least it didn't have the capacity to attack with its tail anymore.

"Oh hell yes!" Klein cheered, and the Assault Team cheered with him. "Nice shot, Sinon!"

The ghost of a smile crossed her face as she took a moment to soak in the praise. She fell back, well away from the battle, and opened her inventory to refill her quiver.

Her quiver, she'd learned very early on, could only hold so many arrows, so she'd taken to storing hundreds upon hundreds of extra arrows in her inventory for easy restocking on the battlefield. As they slowly climbed the castle and unlocked more and more floors and content, she'd even taken to stocking up on different types of arrows. Barbed arrows did more damage to fleshy enemies and stayed embedded in their skin for longer periods of time. Grappling arrows were handy when one needed to deploy a length of rope over a vast distance, or if one needed to secure a target from afar. Blunted arrows weren't very effective against most targets since they didn't have much piercing power, but they were phenomenal at breaking through hard materials.

With that in mind, she refilled her quiver with more blunted arrows, and as she did, she took a moment to survey the battlefield itself.

The Assault Team was not in good shape. Yes, they were winning, but they'd already lost a dozen players by her count. Fortunately, none were among her own guild – a fact that gave her the tiniest bit of pride – and instead those fatalities belonged to the KoB and DDA. The two guilds in question were battling with renewed ferocity, propelled by their hatred for the monster that killed their friends.

She could empathize. She felt a similar rage towards PoH when she'd learned of Kizmel's death. Asuna beat her to the punch, unfortunately, and it was probably for the best.

Everyone's health bars were either in the yellow or red. The only exceptions to the rule were Heathcliff, who apparently was incapable of going yellow, and Leonn, who was functionally still in the green (he only needed to back off and allow his health to recover). She was about to stand up when something caught her eye.

Heathcliff had just stabbed with his sword, and a sliver of the ((Skull Reaper))'s health shaved off. She knew how his Unique Skill worked; he could freely shift from total offense to total defense. Whenever he attacked, he was incredibly vulnerable, but when he defended he was an impenetrable wall. The animation for his stance changes was brief, but noticeable if you knew what to look for. That brief flash on his shield and sword was the indicator, after all.

So why did he take no damage from that leg attack if he didn't swap back to defense?

She shook her head. Focus! Right now, they needed her. Closing her inventory, she stood up and ran forward, ready to keep fighting.

Akihiko Kayaba was a proud father.

This boss, the ((Skull Reaper)), was a boss of his own design. Much like the ((Gleam Eyes)) of the previous floor, this boss heralded the beginning of the end of the game. A metaphorical wake-up call that things were getting serious, that there was no turning back.

The sheer adrenaline of fighting against such a frightening beast was intoxicating. Yes, he himself was in absolutely no danger whatsoever from his own creation, but the emotions he felt from his comrades-in-arms was genuine. Authentic. He remembered a quote he'd heard once; he couldn't place its origin, but it rang true nevertheless.

A person's true character is revealed when they're faced with danger.

And right now? Right now, Akihiko Kayaba was in the company of heroes.

What else would you call a group of several dozen people who fought against insurmountable odds for the sake of thousands? Who risked life and limb for the promise of freedom, when no one else stepped up to the plate? Who knew that each and any day fighting could be their last?

It was inspiring, and he took pride in the knowledge that he created them.

Perhaps they were heroes all along, whose circumstances previously gave them no chances to show their true colors. The comforts of modern society did little to provide opportunities to show bravery and courage; Japan was not currently at war, after all, so this kind of valor would go unnoticed – barring a sudden and unexpected armed conflict, that is. This was a much safer way of bringing forth their character without endangering millions of lives.

He was not unaware of the irony of that line of thought; this was simply the better alternative to a world war.

Kayaba knew he was the villain of this story; he had no compunctions about that fact. However, he was the story teller, the architect of this overarching narrative. Conflict was a necessary evil, and he was the most qualified to create it and watch as good rose up against it. In the end, he mused, so much of the good in the world was the result of some evil threatening society.

This was only part of his legacy, and he could not be more proud of his role in it.

"He's almost down!" Lind cried out, and an uproarious cheer was his answer.

The ((Skull Reaper)) was on its last legs, a sliver of red marking the last of its health bar. A veritable rainbow of color exploded around him as dozens of raiders unleashed every sword skill in the book upon this boss. To the average layman, it would sound like a cacophony of metal striking bone, lacking any rhythm and being borne from the chaos of battle.

To Akihiko Kayaba, it was a symphony of steel.

And he was the conductor.

"Everyone, attack!"

[Congratulations!]

Kirito slumped down, back to back with Asuna. Both were panting heavily, and they weren't alone. Leonn and Liz lay some distance to his right, both tanks sprawled out on the cold stone floor as they struggled to catch their breath. Geeou and Alice were just ahead of him, the former slowly sipping health potions while the latter seemed to glare at Heathcliff. Sinon was next to them, her hands still gripping her bow, as if ready to fire once more.

All in all, it did not feel like a victory.

"How many did we lose?" Klein asked, the samurai sitting cross-legged next to a panting Kuroi.

Kirito opened up his menu and looked over the raid distribution and map. His heart sunk as he finally finished the headcount. "14. Fourteen of us died."

"Oh my God." Agil gasped, his massive form prone as he lay on his back.

"You're telling me we have 25 more floors left of this shit?" Lokuss asked, his voice muffled as he lay face down against the stone floor.

"How the hell are we even going to make it that far?" Liena wondered under her breath, yet the silence permeating the boss arena was enough for her whisper to have the volume of a bullhorn.

A contradictory silence fell over the Assault Team… contradictory because of how comfortable the lack of combat felt and uncomfortable from the death toll. Nearly every person still alive was sitting down or laying down, trying desperately to regain their bearings and come to terms with what remained in clearing this game. Everyone, that is, except one man.

Heathcliff.

Kirito felt a twinge of irritation at the almost callous expression on the man. His calm, stoic nature only portrayed a sort of separation from those surrounding him. It was hard to feel a connection to the man who was (apparently) incapable of exhaustion, whose features suggested that he was above their petty concerns and far removed from any real danger.

Perhaps that wasn't entirely untrue. Kirito's eyes wandered onto the man's healthbar, which still rested in the green, yet dangled precariously close to the yellow. He furrowed his brow; not once did Kirito see the man drink a health potion. Yes, Silica and Yuna were providing passive healing to just about everyone through that chaotic mess, but he should have been more injured at this point.

If he didn't know any better, he'd say Heathcliff was cheating.

"Shoot his foot."

Kirito's eyes bugged out as his head whipped over towards Alice, who'd whispered the outrageous suggestion to Sinon. The archer looked similarly baffled by the notion of firing on an ally, especially after such a harrowing battle. Geeou, on the other hand, seemed to be putting the pieces of a puzzle together in his head as his eyes darted back and forth.

"Sorry, what?" Sinon whispered. "You want me to what?!"

"Shoot his foot. It won't kill him, not with how much health he has left. Do it quick; if I'm right about this then nothing has ever been more important in the two-plus years we've been trapped here."

"You're shittin' me. You want me to go orange?" Sinon hissed.

"I'll take full responsibility if it backfires. Just… please, Sinon." Alice begged, her eyes focused on Heathcliff, whose back was facing them at this moment.

"Are you crazy?!" Asuna whisper-shouted. "You can't just go and – "

*THWIP!*

A single arrow, hastily drawn and fired yet no less accurate, flew through the air before impacting with Heathcliff's foot.

…or at least it would have, were it not for a familiar purple force field and a particularly damning message that appeared above the guild leader's head.

[Immortal Object]

What?

If the boss room wasn't silent enough, it only grew quieter as dozens of eyes honed in on that purple message. The only other entity in SAO that Kirito knew that had that status was his own daughter, and that particular information was on a need-to-know basis.

"What the actual fuck." Lokuss muttered, and Kirito felt himself agreeing for once.

"What's going on?" Godfree asked, standing up to his full height as he glanced back and forth between Sinon and the man who could not die.

"Oh shit." Kirito gulped as he looked towards a very vindicated Alice. "It all makes sense now."

"What does?" Asuna asked as she scampered to her feet. "Kirito? Alice?"

"The reason why the commander's HP never hits zero…" Alice started, her fists clenching in barely-contained rage.

"... is because he's protected by the system." Kirito realized before facepalming. "It's so obvious! In the two years we've been here, no one's seen him drop below green! We all overlooked it because of his Unique Skill but it's still impossible!"

"Not impossible, Kirito." Heathcliff chuckled. "Improbable."

Kirito turned to Alice. "How did you figure it out?"

"Figure out what?!" Klein shouted, his face the epitome of confusion.

"Eug – err, Geeou and I were having lunch the other day with some friends, and something one of them said resonated with me." Alice explained, her eyes never leaving Heathcliff's. "He said, "Creating for others is worthwhile, but there's something to be said for enjoying your own creation." That got me thinking, what kind of game creator makes a game as amazing and immersive as SAO but doesn't even play it?"

Dozens of eyes widened as they came to the same conclusion themselves.

"It's basic psychology." Kirito continued for her. "It's so simple, every kid knows it. There's nothing more boring than watching someone else play an RPG…"

Kirito gave Alice a nod before looking at the man himself.

"... is there, Akihiko Kayaba?"

Alice hated being right.

What should have stayed a crackpot conspiracy theory turned out to be truth. She was expecting it, but having it confirmed in front of her very eyes was another matter entirely.

Heathcliff chortled before opening his menu, his finger lazily going through the motions. After a moment, he pulled out a familiar item… one that every single player in Aincrad knew and used firsthand. After all, they'd been tricked into its use on the very first day.

A hand mirror.

In a dazzling flash of light – which caused everyone in attendance to shield their eyes – Heathcliff, grand commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath, owner of the Unique Skill ((Holy Sword)) disappeared. In his place, wearing all of the armor and vestitures of one of the most acclaimed men in the game, was Akihiko Kayaba, the creator and jail warden of Sword Art Online.

He looked up ever so slightly, as if peering at something above him and in the distance before winking. Oh that smug prick; he was probably winking at everyone watching the broadcast on the 1st Floor.

"Yes, I am Akihiko Kayaba." The game master confessed, turning back towards Alice and Kirito. "And now that my identity has been revealed, it should come as no surprise that I am the final boss on the top floor."

The chorus of gasps would have been amusing in any other setting. Here, though, it accurately portrayed the sense of shock and betrayal that she knew many were feeling at this moment. Both here and in the Town of Beginnings, no doubt.

"So the strongest player in the game ends up being the final boss." Kirito summarized, as Asuna clung to his arm, absolutely stupefied. "Kind of cliche, don't you think?"

Kayaba smirked. "Actually, I kind of like that angle. One thing's for sure, I always thought you'd be the one standing before me at the very end. Well, you or one of the other Unique Skill holders, really."

Alice glanced at the other holders in the room, who looked equally as disturbed. Asuna. Kirito. Klein. Silica. Yuna. Leonn. Liz. Sachi. Kuroi. Yuuki. Alice herself was one of them, too, technically speaking, though like a third of the people on that list, her skill did not immediately lend itself to fighting ability.

"Did you know that ((Dual Blades)) was a skill given to the player with the fastest reaction time?" Kayaba asked, his eyes darting over to a stunned Yuuki. "The problem was that two of you competed for that title, but there's a certain irony to a skill that allows for the wielding of two blades to be held by two people, no?"

"So our lives are nothing but playthings for you, then?" Klein grumbled out.

"To the contrary, Klein." Kayaba refuted. "See, you're the heroes of this story. The ones who will rise up and challenge the Demon King. But you? The power you all display on a daily basis exceeds my expectations, and I could not be more proud. I guess these unexpected twists and turns are what make MMORPGs so thrilling to play."

"Play?" Godfree growled, clutching the hilt of his sword with righteous fury. "Play?! Was that all our loyalty was to you? A game?! How dare you? HOW DARE YOU!"

Godfree leapt at the man, and Alice had to commend him on his bravery. Not many would dare to openly strike at a game master like this (Sinon didn't count, as his identity wasn't confirmed at the time) but here he was bringing his sword down on the man he once called leader. With a swift swiping of his fingers, Kayaba pressed a button and Godfree went slack mid-air before crashing to the ground in a heap.

Alice's eyes settled on Godfree's health bar… more specifically, the lightning bolt status condition hovering over it. He was paralyzed, for who knew how long.

In a flurry of masterful swipes and strokes, Kayaba then proceeded to afflict nearly every one in the room with the ((Paralysis)) condition, save for a handful of people.

The Unique Skill holders.

"What the…?" Liz muttered, watching as everyone else in the room collapsed from the status condition.

"What's the plan now, huh?" Kirito said, his stern voice cutting through the uneasy voices around them. "You planning on killing everyone here and covering it up? Thanks to your broadcasts, everyone knows by now. You can't hide this."

"Oh, God no." Kayaba scoffed, shaking his head. "That wouldn't be sporting of me, now would it? No, I have a better idea. I'm going to head to the top floor and wait for all of you there. I'll be inside the Ruby Palace. It's really a shame I have to leave you all so soon. I had something special planned, and I'd hoped to experience it all alongside you. Not to mention, I've spent a lot of time developing the Knights of the Blood Oath."

He sighed.

"Oh well. You're all plenty strong; I've no doubt you'll make it to the end. Eventually, that is." Kayaba chuckled, and Alice felt her blood boiling at the nonchalance. "But before I go…"

The sound of his metal tower shield stamping onto the stone floor echoed in the chamber.

"I feel you all deserve some kind of reward for discovering my identity. I'll give you a chance."

"A chance for what?" Kirito asked.

"To fight me one-on-one. Right here, right now." Kayaba taunted. "One of you, my chosen eleven. Oh, and my immortality will be deactivated, of course. I'm nothing if not fair. If one of you – and only one… this is a fair, honest duel, after all – defeats me, you clear the game and I'll release everyone. Everyone will be able to log out from this world. No strings attached."

The eleven surviving Unique Skill holders shared uneasy and wary glances between them. Who would step up? This was a gambit, but a gambit that needed to be made. It was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

It was more than that, though. This duel would be a statement to Akihiko Kayaba that they would not bow, nor would they break. This would be proof that they were not beholden to his whims and fancies, that they could achieve freedom without his pity or help. A statement that his leadership was not needed.

Alice knew what she had to do.

"Let's finish this."

She sent Kayaba a duel request.