Okay, the next chapter is here.
This one is all about finding Akinym's "hideout" and discovering what he has really been up to lately. Well, and about a little "accident".
Disclaimer: I don't own Sword Art Online Re:Hollow Fragment or Sword Art Online in general.
Two days had passed since the meeting at Agil's inn, and Kirito actually had an idea as to where they might find Akinym.
It had taken Argo one day to get more information on the "target" and to prepare the "report" for Kirito. She couldn't dig up everything in that time, of course, but with everything she had told him, he had an idea as to how he might learn the rest from Akinym once he had found him.
Speaking of which, there was one thing Argo had told him that had caught Kirito's eye. It was the fact that Akinym had bought information on remote quest-related locations. Given that Akinym had apparently planned what he was doing at the moment, he had probably searched for a hideout in advance, and Kirito had a hunch what he might have in mind.
Now he stood in front of one of those locations, a cavern on the 79th floor that was turned into some kind of fortress by expanding it and adding artificial structures, mostly traps. Asuna and the other girls were with him. Klein and Agil would've accompanied them, too, but they were busy with keeping the situation at Arc Sophia under control. The plan was to hold a meeting with the leaders of all the small guilds this afternoon. Hopefully, the situation could be resolved…
Kirito took a look at the small entrance of the cavern. He hoped that he was right with his theory.
Kirito [slightly determinedly]: Okay, I'm going in.
Leafa [hesitantly]: Okay… Are you really sure that you want to go alone? I mean, I'd rather you don't confront him alone. What if something happens? What if he attacks you, or…
Kirito [interrupting, reassuringly]: Hey, hey, don't panic, okay? I've told you about this dungeon and the quest, right? Akinym knows about that, and I doubt he will risk anything.
Long story short, a strong boss would spawn inside the cave under two different circumstances. One of them was a player drawing a weapon inside the cave. After the boss spawned, the entrance would be closed off, and since the cave was an anti-crystal area, the players would be more or less caught until they defeated the boss. Hence, actually attacking someone inside the cave was too dangerous.
Kirito: I have to go alone. I think it would scare Akinym off if too many people suddenly appeared at his hideout. I have a better chance speaking with him on my own.
He actually had a better reason why the others couldn't follow him inside. Kirito was the only one of them who had accepted the quest that was associated with this cave, and there was an invisible wall which would only let people who had proceeded far enough in the quest pass.
The invisible wall only appeared after a player with the quest had entered the dungeon, and Kirito had come here earlier to check if it was actually there. The fact that the wall had appeared was another sign that Akinym might use the cave as his hideout.
Only Kirito knew of the invisible wall, and given that the others would be pretty angry at him for keeping this a secret, he'd rather not let them find out about it.
Regardless, he really wanted to face Akinym alone. By now, that was the only option anyway.
Asuna [slightly worriedly]: Okay, I trust you. Just go in to see if he's there. Keep in mind that we're all out here in case anything happens. [slightly determinedly] We're with you.
Kirito [slightly happily]: Thanks.
Kirito gave his companions a confident smile before walking towards the cave.
When he walked through the narrow passage that lead from the outside into the cavern, Kirito couldn't help but think that this place really didn't feel like a cave. It was more like entering a castle than a natural hole inside a mountain.
One look to the ceiling revealed a portcullis which would block the way out if he should trigger any traps.
Kirito entered the cavern, and he immediately noticed that it really looked more like a small hall rather than an actual cave. The walls were overall even (for a cave, that is) and there were no stalactites or anything like that. Kirito even searched the ceiling, which was about five metres high, but there was nothing.
There was artificial light, coming from several torches around the cavern. Apart from them, the room was almost empty except for a few boulders lying around here and there. The only noteworthy thing in sight was a pile of treasure on the opposite side of the cavern. It was connected to the quest, and most of the objects were just décor and couldn't be converted into items anyway.
Kirito reminded himself that he couldn't get too close to the treasure. Approaching the pile of treasure was the other thing that would trigger the boss to spawn. It was okay, though. He wasn't here for the loot.
Akinym [very surprised]: HUH?! What the…?
Kirito looked to the left, and he saw Akinym sitting on a boulder and leaning on the wall. Akinym stared at him in bewilderment.
Kirito [determinedly]: I guess I've found you…
There was a moment of silence while they were thinking about what to say. Akinym hadn't planned for this occasion, and Kirito simply hadn't planned anything specific beyond this point.
Akinym [slightly suspiciously]: I've honestly not expected you to show up here. I didn't expect anyone to come here in the first place, but that it would be you… [slightly exasperatedly] Actually, I shouldn't be surprised, should I? Who else would even look for me? [slightly sternly] May I ask how you've found me? I doubt you just searched for me aimlessly and came by this cave by chance. I mean, you had to do the quest "Extortion by the Ogre" to get here, didn't you?
Kirito: That's right, and to be honest, that's one of the leads I had. You needed a safe place to stay, and if you can't go to the safe zones without risking the KoB finding out about it and coming to demand an explanation from you, a dungeon like this is just perfect. No monsters will spawn here unless someone causes the boss to spawn, which would trap the player in question as well. Likewise, nobody could draw a weapon inside here, it would be the same issue. Not a safe zone, but a safe place nonetheless.
Akinym had to give it to Kirito: He was absolutely right.
Speaking of drawing a weapon, Akinym was a bit concerned to see that Kirito had his swords equipped. To be fair, Kirito had to fight on the way here, and he hadn't put the swords back into his inventory (as Akinym had done with his weapon). It had been a subconscious action to make sure that he was prepared in case of an emergency.
Well, nothing would happen as long as Kirito didn't unsheathe a sword. Akinym figured that Kirito had informed himself carefully about the mechanics of this quest, and he seemed to know of the conditions to cause the boss to spawn, so Akinym was somewhat confident that he wouldn't make such a careless mistake, which was why Akinym didn't worry too much about Kirito having his swords equipped.
Kirito: There's also the fact that under normal circumstances, nobody would do this quest anymore. The quest is just too difficult to bother. Sure, the quest rewards some EXP and run-of-the-mill supplies, but the most important reward is loot from that treasury over there, and since the system doesn't replenish it, the quest is just not lucrative anymore now that a few parties have already cleared it. In other words, there is no reason why players would come here anymore, so this cave is the perfect place to stay if you don't want anyone to see you.
Akinym: Well, I commend you for your detective skills. I've heard that you're quite good at figuring such things out, but I wasn't sure what to think of it. It seems you're the real deal… So, what now?
Kirito [sternly]: Now?! Now I want to know what you think you're doing! Do you have any idea what's going on in Arc Sophia?! Or what's going on with the Assault Team?!
Akinym [slightly sternly]: Obviously! I've been aiming at that, you know?
Kirito: Why? This whole thing started because you didn't want the Assault Team to be stuck on the eighty-third floor anymore, didn't it?! Just a week ago, you said that wasting time on "searching for another solution" or even relaxation could be time that will cost lives out there, so why are you bringing clearing this game to a standstill now?! Is getting back at Asuna or whatever this is so important to you that you're ignoring what you've claimed you'd do?!
Akinym [annoyed]: Do you seriously think this is about something useless like pride or revenge?! I'm just doing what's best in the long run! [slightly sternly] Bad leadership will cause trouble later down the line, so correcting that now will pay off later, even if it costs valuable time right now. For instance, if a mistake like on the last floor was made again, it would cause even more Assault Team members to die, which would also weaken the Assault Team. Not to mention the psychological effect. Preventing something like that is worth losing two or three weeks.
Kirito: So that's the plan? You help the DDA to take control, but what comes after that? Do you seriously trust the DDA to lead the Assault Team better than Asuna? You should know their reputation, and that it's mostly well-deserved.
Akinym [calmly]: Well, you're right about that. Frankly, I think that the Assault Team would be better off with the DDA, but I have reservations about them, too. They're trying to do the right thing, but for the wrong reasons, I'd say. They'd try to get an advantage for themselves, and they're after the fame of leading the assault.
Kirito [slightly upset]: Then why do you support them?
Akinym: Make no mistake! The plan isn't to establish the DDA as the leading party of the Assault Team. It just has to look that way.
So far, there had been a few twists and turns in that conversation that Kirito hadn't completely anticipated, but now he really wasn't sure what to think anymore.
Kirito: W-what do you mean by that?
Akinym: Say, Kirito-san, have you ever thought about how democracy works?
Kirito [slightly annoyed]: What does that have to do with anything?
Akinym [slightly exasperatedly]: I'm honestly surprised that you don't see that… [calmly] Anyway, many people think that it's the characteristic of a democracy that the people is in power. However, that's just always the case. Even in an autocracy, the reigning group can't rule if the majority of the subjects isn't accepting it. That's in the nature of leadership. The leader needs some kind of approval from those they lead, no matter what that means in the specific situation.
At the very least, Kirito began to understand what Akinym was getting at. He basically described what was going on within the Assault Team. So far, they had been following Asuna's orders and decisions, but now that they didn't, Asuna didn't have any control over the Assault Team anymore.
Akinym: The actual point is that the true ruling force in a democracy is the fickleness of the mob. Every decision is up for debate, so a single wrong decision can change the tides in the political landscape. If everything goes smoothly, people will prefer to uphold their morality since it makes them feel better about themselves, but if something goes wrong and their safety or well-being is at risk, the priorities change. In such a situation, good long-term strategies are – for better or worse – not the key to success. It's adaptability. Especially within such a volatile structure like the Assault Team without a formal leadership, it's all about pleasing the majority whenever it matters.
Kirito [slightly upset]: Okay, okay! I honestly don't want to hear you dissecting the situation like that, so get to the point!
Akinym [slightly annoyed]: Fine! The majority of the Assault Team distrusts the DDA, so they probably won't support them unless they don't see another way to proceed. At the same time, the KoB can't do anything unless they either follow the DDA's lead, which they probably won't, or they regain the support of the smaller guilds, but in order to do that, Asuna-san will have to make concessions, [calmly] and I guess you can figure out what concessions that will be.
Akinym had a point. Kirito remembered something Argo had told him and the others: The majority of the Assault Team actually had yet to decide which side they'd follow. A few parties supported the DDA, whereas others still supported the KoB. However, the issue was far from being settled.
The DDA had a relatively bad reputation among the Assault Team. Sure, they were valuable partners in battle, but some parts of their policy such as occupying lucrative farming and leveling grounds had caused a rift between them and many others among the Assault Team.
If the KoB would change its policy to meet the demands of the smaller guilds, they'd win them over in no time, and the DDA would have no choice but to accept defeat in this political battle.
Kirito [upset]: You… This is all just one big scheme?! Now that you couldn't convince Asuna herself, you're trying to force her to do what you want?!
Akinym [upset]: I'm trying to force her to do what has to be done for the good of the Assault Team! If I have to use such a trick to do that, so be it! I've told countless parties to support the DDA because I knew that Asuna-san would find out about it before long, and I've told the DDA about the dissatisfaction among the small clearing guilds so that they'll try to gain their support, which Asuna-san would also learn of in no time. All that… just to make sure that she has to change her ways in order to keep the DDA from taking control in the long run… or from being stuck for all time.
Kirito: We'll see if that works! The Assault Team is all about the common goal to free ourselves! They put their lives on the line for that, and I doubt they'll like to hear that they've been tricked like that after everything they've gone through! I'll tell them everything you've said, and this plan is going to fall apart!
Akinym [chuckles]: Yeah, go ahead! I'm sure they'll instantly believe you, the partner of the KoB's vice-commander, when you tell them that the person who heard them out – something Asuna-san hasn't done in a while – was only tricking them when he told them to support KoB's arch-rival. [slightly sternly] I'd love to hear how that works out!
Kirito gritted his teeth. Yeah, figures… As much as he hated to admit it, Akinym was right. In this situation, they'd never believe him, which was probably why Akinym had been willing to tell Kirito all that in the first place.
It was a horrible feeling. Despite knowing exactly what was going on, Kirito felt powerless. This was a battle on a battlefield he wasn't made for. It wasn't about skill or strength or anything like that, it was about mere power.
Akinym had planned this far beyond the point Kirito had thought. How was he supposed to beat such an opponent in a battle about persuasion and influence? An opponent who had already gained some trust from the small guilds by meeting them eye-to-eye, which was something he or Asuna probably couldn't do in the same way due to their position…
He could only try a small gamble to throw Akinym off balance.
Kirito [calmly]: And what if the DDA wins? How could we know? I mean, you've already told them what the small guilds want, and they'll use that to win them over. And if they do, they might as well exclude the entire KoB from the raids just to take all the fame! I guess you know that this would be a severe loss for the Assault Team. Do you approve of leaving out such a strong fighting force?
Akinym: I think you've got something wrong: I've never told them what bothers them in detail. I've only told them that there is enough turmoil for them to gain their trust if they'll play their cards right, and the leaders of the smaller parties probably won't trust them. Besides, I've made preparations in case this unlikely turn of events actually happens. The DDA wanted to do something like that, yeah, but I've convinced them that it would be better to use the KoB's qualities to their advantage. They still have some of the strongest players in the game, and Asuna-san still has the most knowledge and talent when it comes to commanding raids and large-scale operations, and it would be a waste and a bad decision not to use that. That's why I've told the DDA to keep her in charge of leading the boss battles, and if everything works fine, they can claim the victory for their "good decisions and planning before the battle". Well, and if something goes wrong, they can blame it on bad leadership during the battle.
A sudden surge of rage filled Kirito when he had heard that. He had expected that Akinym had planned for that, but he hadn't thought that he had suggested to use Asuna and the KoB like that.
His body basically moved on its own and instinctively grabbed one of his swords.
Kirito: Why, you!
Akinym [panicking]: Wait, what the hell are you…
Kirito drew the sword, and even before Akinym could finish his exclamation, a loud alarm resounded in the cave.
Kirito looked at the sword in shock as he realised what he had done. It was too late, though. He could hear the portcullis at the entrance closing right before the boss spawned.
The quest "Extortion by the Ogre" was about a small settlement on the 79th floor. Recently, a "mighty ogre" had taken up residence in this cave with his minions, a battalion of goblins. They were demanding the local population to pay tribute, which happened to be the source of the treasure inside the cave.
The quest was about exterminating the ogre, and this also was the challenge that Akinym and Kirito were facing now.
The ferocious beast, Kligon the Mountain Ogre, spawned in the middle of the cavern. It was easily three metres tall, and even its fangs were about as big as a grown human's head. Bulky muscles covered most of its body, basically acting as armour and leaving nearly no weak points. Kligon lifted its weapon, a club that was almost as big as Kirito's entire body, and roared fiercely while its three HP bars appeared.
At the same time, five Loyal Goblin Sentinels spawned around Kligon. According to the lore of the quest, those were Kligon's henchman, and they immediately charged at Akinym and Kirito.
Akinym had to recover from his shock quickly and take out his weapon. He tried to dodge the attacks of three adds while scrolling through his inventory. When he finally equipped his spear, he had to stay in place for a moment for it to materialise. In that moment, he had to block a blow with his arm. As soon as he held his spear in his hands, he pushed the foe away with a strong thrust, and he repelled the other two sentinels in a similar fashion for a moment.
Akinym: Dammit! What the hell did you get us into?!
Kirito had to deal with the remaining two sentinels. On top of that, the boss slowly marched towards Akinym. Kirito slit its left leg to draw the aggro.
Kirito: That's not the time for arguments! We can talk about it when we got out of this mess!
Akinym turned his full attention back to the battle. He could keep up with the small fry, that wouldn't be a problem. It was the boss that worried him.
Kligon the Mountain Ogre was actually not that strong. Sure, it had high physical strength and a powerful Blunt weapon, meaning high DPH, but it was quite slow and sluggish. Furthermore, its basic Defense was low, so it wasn't too hard to bring it down despite it not having many weak spots.
There was only one gimmick that made this boss really hard. When its third HP bar was at fifty per cent, it would put on an impenetrable armour. The armour would absorb all damage, and it had to be destroyed before the boss could be defeated.
This, however, was easier said than done. Every thirty seconds, all the damage the armour had received was reset, so it had to be destroyed in one go within thirty seconds. It took a party with really high DPS and good teamwork to pull that off.
Admittedly, Kirito was the strongest player in the game, and with his technique and the powerful Dual Wielding Sword Skills, he probably had the highest DPS in SAO. Whether that would be enough, though… Akinym wouldn't be able to help him much given his low DPS, and as strong as Kirito may have been, he couldn't replace an entire party of high-level players.
There had been only three (full) parties who had cleared this quest so far, and all of them had consisted of hand-picked top players. The first party who had tried to clear the quest had almost got wiped out when they had been caught off guard by Kligon's defense mechanism.
Thinking of that party, Akinym suddenly had an idea as to what to do. He fended off another wave of attacks before gaining some distance with a backflip. He used the time the monsters needed to catch up to look around.
There was a lever on the wall behind the pile of treasure. That lever controlled the portcullis that kept them from escaping. Pulling that lever would raise the portcullis, thus making it possible to leave. The first party to tackle this quest had discovered it, and three players had been able to escape that way.
The only problem was that the portcullis would close again after ten seconds. With all the monsters in the cave, that wasn't enough time to get from the lever to the exit. Only one person would be able to leave this place that way…
Akinym thought about it while he kept dodging and fending off blows. His contribution to clearing the game was to coach other players, but not only were his current students almost done with their training, a lot of them probably wouldn't even want to continue after the mess Akinym got involved in. On top of that, he doubted that there would be other trainee groups to come here on the upper floors, a place that only skilled players would come to.
On the other hand, there was Kirito, the strongest player in the game, and a major contributor to the Assault Team from the very beginning. Akinym also remembered something Heathcliff – Kayaba Akihiko himself – had apparently said. The Dual Wielding skill was supposed to give the players a chance to beat this game. Who knew how significant it might be later down the line…
The choice should be clear, but Akinym couldn't bring himself to make it. Not at first. He clenched his teeth, desperately trying to think of a way out while fighting off the monsters around him. However, the only thing that appeared in his mind was a black, hopeless wall.
Akinym took another look at Kirito just as Kligon swung its club at him again. Kirito dodged by leaping backwards, but the sight of Kligon basically towering over him, bringing its weapon down on its "prey", reminded Akinym of something.
He could basically see the scenery in front of his eyes, the marshy forest, the hooded figure… and the terrified girl lying on the ground, waiting for a rescue that had never come. Akinym wondered how many people might face a similar fate, how many would be left defeated, distraught and void before this madness would end…
The choice should be clear, so Akinym had to make it. He pushed the sentinels away once more before dashing towards the lever between the various items that were sprawled across the floor.
Akinym [very determinedly]: Kirito-san, get to the exit!
Kirito was so surprised that he almost forgot to dodge Kligon's club. One of the sentinels that was attacking him even got a good, clean hit.
It wasn't until Kirito spotted Akinym next to the lever that he understood what Akinym was trying to do.
Kirito: What the hell are you doing there?! You'll never reach the exit in time!
Akinym had to defend himself against the sentinels, which had caught up to him in almost no time.
Akinym: That's beside the point! You have to get out of here!
Kirito: And what are you going to do?! You can't defeat the boss and all those monsters by yourself! No chance!
Akinym [exasperatedly]: For the love of… [very upset] I said that's beside the point! If you die here, who the hell is supposed to clear this game?!
Kirito actually considered accepting Akinym's idea for a moment, but not in order to flee. His idea was to leave and to return with Asuna and the others to help. Together, they should be able to defeat Kligon.
However, he remembered the invisible wall. Asuna and the others wouldn't be able to enter. Kirito wondered if this might be the reason why the wall was there in the first place, to prevent people from bringing in reinforcements.
There was no easy way out of this. The only way out of it… was to fight.
Kligon struck again with its club. The impact blew up a lot of dust. When it settled again, Akinym could see Kirito emerging from it with a determined glare.
Kirito: Forget it! I don't care what you think of it, but you better get that I'm not leaving anyone behind! It doesn't matter who it is, I won't let anyone die like that!
Kirito's outburst actually just annoyed Akinym. There it was again, that stupid heroic attitude he couldn't stand, the kind of attitude that didn't acknowledge the necessity of sacrifices…
Kirito: If you want to help me, get these adds off me! I'll deal with the boss!
Kirito used a strong AOE Sword Skill, which was powerful enough to kill the two sentinels around him. It didn't actually help, though. The adds would respawn endlessly until Kligon was defeated. Two new Loyal Goblin Sentinels spawned immediately in the middle of the cave.
Meanwhile, Akinym hesitated a little. He didn't want to go along with this idea, which was just a waste of time in his opinion. However, he realised that he couldn't convince Kirito to leave right now, so he decided to play along for the time being.
His plan was to show Kirito the same black, hopeless wall he had seen earlier. Akinym figured that Kirito had to see the limit of his abilities staring back at him to understand that he couldn't save everyone.
Therefore, Akinym's plan was to wait until Kirito hit that wall when trying to break through Kligon's armour. When Kirito would see the futility of his efforts, he might finally accept it and learn a valuable lesson from it. Akinym actually found a certain level of solace in the fact that at least something would be gained from this… incident.
For now, Akinym ran back to the center of the cave. He drew the aggro of the sentinels there with a quick AOE attack. After that, he began to run around the room to keep the adds busy. Every now and then, they would close up to him, and he'd have to fend them off and slip past them. This entire time, he made sure to stay in the back area of the cavern, not in order to give Kirito space to fight, but in order to be close to the lever when it was time.
Meanwhile, Kirito was whittling down Kligon's HP bit by bit. He only had to make sure to dodge the boss' club and to time his own attacks precisely to recover from the post-motion delay of his Sword Skills before the boss would attack again.
One HP bar went down. Kligon's attack pattern became a bit more complex. It began to use punches with its free arm and kicks with its legs. On top of that, the impact of its club came with a shockwave now. Thankfully, those new attacks were nothing Kirito couldn't handle with the necessary caution.
The second HP bar went down. So far, so good…
There was only one problem. Kirito had to think of something to deal with Kligon's impenetrable armour. It was almost time…
Kirito had thought about it since the battle had begun, but there wasn't that much he could do. The weak spot of the armour was an emblem around the lower half of the stomach, just within the reach of his swords, so there was that. To be fair, a polearm would've been a better weapon for hitting it, but Kirito had to use what he had, didn't he?
However, regardless of his determination to win this battle and make it out of this alive, he had his doubts that he'd be able to do enough damage. Were his powerful Dual Wielding Sword Skills really enough? That question was weighing on his mind the entire time.
He figured that he'd have to use everything he got and attack at maximum efficiency. His biggest concern was the relatively long post-motion delay after his Sword Skills. Kirito had the feeling that this would cost him too much time.
There was also the issue of counterattacks…
The nastiest part about Kligon's armour was that it didn't work like a buff. The armor itself was a separate monster that spawned on Kligon's body, covering it completely. Basically, it was a monster without attack moves, and it only cast a strong healing skill with a cooldown of thirty seconds.
The problem was that Kirito wouldn't directly attack Kligon while trying to destroy the armour. If he did, the attacks would also slow the boss' reactions and movements down, but the way things were, it would just attack normally. Kirito wouldn't be able to dodge counterattacks while using his Sword Skills, and the powerful Blunt attacks of the heavy club would cancel the skills for sure.
It would cancel the Sword Skills… This gave Kirito an idea, and it was just in time as Kligon's third HP bar was almost down to fifty per cent.
Kligon slammed its club onto the ground, and the shockwave blew Kirito away. He was actually happy about that since it helped him to gain some distance. His idea was risky, and he had to prepare himself as much as possible. For starters, he needed all his Sword Skills to be ready, so he waited for the cooldown to be over.
He also had to watch his HP. His HP bar was at around seventy per cent, and he figured that it would be better to have full HP when he'd start. Fortunately, the slow movements of the boss allowed him to gain enough distance to use a potion. Furthermore, he positioned himself on the opposite side of a few boulders. Kligon could lift his feet only ten centimetres into the air, so it couldn't jump or step over the boulders like Kirito, it had to go around.
When Kligon was in range again, it aimed its fist at Kirito and lunged forward. Kirito dodged by leaping backwards, and when the boss drew back again, Kirito dashed at it and hit it with a few simple sword strikes.
Kligon took a step back and roared. It was the signal, and both Akinym and Kirito thought that it was time, although they had different ideas as to what it was time for.
Kligon's impenetrable armour appeared on its body. Kirito wasted no time and used his first Sword Skill, Radial Shine. Just as expected, he hit a few times before the boss countered with its club, cancelling the rest of the attack and dealing significant damage.
However, before the boss could draw its club back, it was basically pushed into the air by the force of another Sword Skill. Kirito had started another one right away, Starburst Stream this time. He hit the emblem on Kligon's armour several times before the next strike with the club stopped him.
Meanwhile, Akinym took position next to the lever, still fighting off the sentinels. He waited for the moment when the armour would reset, which would hopefully convince Kirito to give up on this battle this time.
Akinym watched as Kirito immediately continued his "onslaught" with Crimson Splash. He thrust his swords right into the emblem on the armour several times before Kligon disrupted the final blow of the combo.
This time, Kirito hesitated to use the next Sword Skill when he saw Kligon getting ready for an attack with its leg instead of its club.
Kirito [thinks]: Not yet!
He dodged a stomp, and continued to attack the emblem with regular sword strikes for now. It was almost out of reach, so Kirito was actually strangely happy to see the boss taking another swing with its club.
Kirito: Now!
He activated the next Sword Skill, Nightmare Rain. Once again, he hit the emblem several times before a strike of Kligon's club cancelled the attack.
Almost thirty seconds had passed since that onslaught had begun, and Kirito felt that he had only one more chance to deal damage. He resorted to the relatively short, yet strong Sword Skill Deep Impact.
Kligon got ready to attack again, just as Akinym got ready to tell Kirito to get to the exit once the slash marks on the boss' armour would disappear, signaling that all this effort would've been in vain. Kirito, however, was too focused on his final attack to notice either of those actions.
When dealing the final thrust of Deep Impact, his usual battle cry transformed into a specific yell.
Kirito: BREAK!
He rammed his sword into the emblem, and the metal gave in to the impact. The blow left a wide crack in the armour, and the sword sank in. As the armour began to shine blue, Kligon stopped dead in its tracks, as if it was startled by suddenly feeling a sword penetrating its stomach.
Akinym certainly was more than startled. He stared at the "impenetrable" armour in utter disbelief as it shattered into polygons, turning what he had thought would be impossible into reality right in front of his eyes. He was so surprised that one of the monsters around him had to snap him out of it by slashing his arm with its weapon.
Kirito might've broken through Kligon's armour, but the boss still had about half of its last HP bar left, and Kirito could barely keep going at this point. He had poured everything he had into this thirty-seconds-attack, and he had basically overexerted himself.
Before Kirito could even catch his breath, Kligon started a punch attack. As a desperate countermeasure, Kirito raised right sword and held it limply in front of himself. It wasn't much of a parry, and Kligon's punch easily broke through it and knocked Kirito down. He lost the sword and crashed into a wall.
When Kirito looked up again, he could see the boss getting into position for another blow with its club. His body felt numb, and his vision was a bit blurry. All in all, Kirito didn't have the feeling that he'd be able to dodge or defend himself. A quick glance at his HP gauge revealed that it was already in the red zone.
Kligon swung its club, and Kirito already thought that it was over when something shot at Kligon's arm from the side. The impact deflected the blow and threw the boss off balance.
Kirito couldn't see clearly who it was at first, but the attack had come at such speed that his subconsciousness, which was only used to seeing Asuna attacking at this speed in everyday battles, made him believe for a second that it was her.
However, that obviously couldn't be the case. Someone inside this cave had to be responsible for his rescue, and that left only one conclusion. As his vision became clearer, it confirmed it: The person in question was Akinym, who was facing Kligon with a fierce, determined expression now.
Akinym had rushed over as soon as he had noticed that Kirito wasn't really in any condition to defend himself at the moment. He had even put up with a few hits from the sentinels as he had rushed past them with the forward dash of his Acrobatics skill.
The attack he had used was Armor-Breaking Lance, so Kligon's defense was down now.
Kligon rebalanced itself, and Akinym used that temporary opening to use Needle Rain. Each of the seven thrusts hit Kligon's pelvis area, its only real weak spot.
Its final HP bar went down… and stopped with a shred of HP left. The attack had decreased Kligon's remaining HP by almost three fourths, but it wasn't enough. Akinym didn't know when had been the last time he had cursed his low DPH as he did at that moment.
Kligon's battle AI identified Akinym as the biggest threat now and turned its attention to him, getting ready for a blow with the club. At the same time, the five adds came into range and lunged at Akinym. With the post-motion delay, he wouldn't be able to defend himself against this wave of attacks, and since his HP were in the yellow zone, he wasn't sure if he'd survive it.
At that moment, it was his turn to see something shoot past him towards Kligon. Kirito had managed to get into position to use Vorpal Strike, and he used it to attack the boss. The system assistant was pretty much the only thing moving him, but that hardly mattered.
The attack hit Kligon's weak spot, its pelvis, and pushed the giant monster back. More than that, it knocked it completely over. With its lowered defense, Kligon lost all its remaining HP.
When the HP gauge disappeared, the adds froze in place before disappearing as well. Kligon keeled over while the death animation started, and it shattered into polygons upon touching the ground, almost as if it broke into pieces from the fall.
...and that's one mountain ogre defeated.
The name Kligon was inspired by the Klingon race from Star Trek. For some reason, when I was thinking of a three metres tall ogre, they came to my mind. Well, at least I managed to come up with a name that way...
Well, I've stated that Kirito's skill levels got reset, and according to SAO Wikia, Vorpal Strike requires 950 proficiency points on the One-Handed Sword skill, so it's questionable if Kirito should actually know that skill... Well, I gave it to him anyway. I think it's still better than my initial idea of Kirito just throwing the sword at the boss.
The story is almost at 100,000 words pure story text, just in time for it to reach a turning point, which should become apparent in the next chapter. Speaking of which...
Little Preview: It's time to come clean about a few things. Will Akinym come to some form of agreement with Kirito, Asuna and the others?