So, who's ready for a boss battle? I kind of hope you aren't, becasue there won't be one... just yet.
Originally, I intended to write a two-chapter "finale" for the events on the 95th floor. Keeping aside that I've planned an "aftermath side story" by now, I've also come to the conclusion that it'd be better to (you guessed it) divide the next boss battle into three parts. This time, the length of the first chapter actually didn't get out of hand... yet. I figured that I might've had to end the chapter at an odd point (not the one I actually had in mind), so I solved the issue preemptively for once.
Anyway, that's enough background info. Let's get to the first part of the battle against the Desert Demon, which is more like a prelude to the actual "action".
The night after the assault on the goblin HQ, the last citadel of the goblins on the 95th floor, would become known among the Assault Team for the biggest party they'd ever thrown. The lizardmen celebrated this victory, which would ensure the survival and relative prosperity of their race, as wildly as you'd expect, and they invited all of their "scaleless allies" to join them.
Many guilds had taken them up on their offer. In fact, Klein earnt himself a reputation for being a party animal since "he and Kem'Pal totally stole the show" at said victory celebration – at least if the other players who attended that party were to be believed. A certain video featuring the leader of Fuurinkazan and the general of the lizardmen singing drinking songs – while being sober, that is – became strangely popular for a while.
There was, however, a considerable amount of Assault Team members who stayed away from that party. Well, the KoB figured that they'd hardly contributed to the victory that was celebrated – that honour belonged to the small guilds among the Assault Team – and even those who'd participated in the attack on the final stronghold of the goblins didn't attend the lizardmen's party. The DDA, on the other hand, opted to hold their own victory feast at Triberia on the 77th floor, their own base of operations.
The majority of the clearers, however, simply didn't feel like celebrating anything. Keeping aside how taxing (and tiring) conquering the final goblin fortress had been, there was also the issue with the missing key to the labyrinth, which literally kept some people awake at night. That said, the biggest issue many players took with the victory party was the fact that this victory had resulted in the extinction of a whole race – virtual or not.
Whether they'd danced the night away or spent it quietly, the very next day was busy once again, at least for many of them. It was already time for the next boss battle: the fight against the Desert Demon. For that, another raid party was gathering early in the morning, this time in the far south of the floor, just outside the labyrinth tower.
Right now, Kirito was greeting a newly arrived comrade for this battle: Sinon.
Kirito: Hey, Sinon! Thanks for coming today.
Sinon: Well, Asuna asked me to, and I don't have any reason to refuse to help, so it's really no big deal – don't make it sound like one! [slightly curiously] But speaking of Asuna…
Wondering why Kirito came to greet her without Asuna, who'd certainly be in charge of the upcoming boss battle, by his side, Sinon scanned the area for the girl in question. Actually, she didn't have to search since Kirito pointed her into the right direction pretty much right away.
Kirito: Asuna is busy with some other guys, so she asked me to welcome you in her stead. Well, and also…
Lisbeth: ...us!
The cheerful voice immediately caught Kirito and Sinon's attention. Lisbeth walked over to them while waving at them with a smile on her lips, and she had Silica, Philia and Leafa in tow.
Silica: Good morning, Sinon-san! We've arrived just a few minutes earlier… [slightly awkwardly] I guess we missed each other at Agil-san's inn just barely, didn't we?
Sinon: I guess so. [slightly exhaustedly] Well, after the whole ordeal yesterday, I admittedly had to drag myself out of bed… for the next battle already…
Lisbeth [lets her shoulders slump]: Yeah, I feel you…
Philia [slightly awkwardly]: To be honest, we were totally beat after yesterday's dungeon raid, too, and I'm not even sure if we would've made it here in time if [throws a sideways glance at Leafa] someone hadn't… um… [feigns a smile] woken us up!
Leafa [upset]: Why did you pause like that?! [defensively, slightly huffily] Besides, it's your fault for not getting up in time! The early bird gets the worm!
Lisbeth [mutters, slightly frustratedly]: I don't want any worms, though… Just a good night's rest would've been fine.
Leafa didn't take note of Lisbeth's muttering, but she stopped the scolding anyway. The anger left her face and made way for… an actually quite regretful expression, and she looked down.
Leafa: Besides, I wouldn't have had any excuse for oversleeping or anything like that. Not after I… [lowers her voice further] skipped yesterday's battle.
Her teammates (as well as Kirito and Sinon) gave her looks full of concern for a moment until one of them decided to speak up.
Philia: Don't beat yourself up over that! We've told you: We're fine, and we've accepted your decision! And I'm sure nobody else will blame you for that, either! You weren't even the only one who didn't come.
Leafa [sternly, slightly frustratedly]: But still! [dejectedly] I mean, I couldn't help it, given that all the goblins would just disappear… [slightly determinedly] But that doesn't change the fact that I left everyone alone when you went on this important mission! The least I can do is to give it my all in today's boss battle! [slightly contemplatively] Oh, now that I speak about this, that reminds me…
Leafa turned to Sinon, and she suddenly bowed her head towards the archer… much to her surprise.
Leafa: Sinon-san, I'm deeply sorry for not participating in yesterday's battle, even though you gave it your all! I promise I'll make up for it today!
Sinon: L-leafa… It's okay, you don't have to be that remorseful about it! I could understand what you must've felt…
Lisbeth: Sinon, just don't bother! Just accept her apology and move on! [slightly exasperatedly] She's been like that since yesterday…
Philia: Yeah, ever since we've got here, Leafa has been going around, apologising to pretty much everyone like that…
Leafa [defensively, slightly sternly]: Of course I do! That's the least I should do after copping out yesterday, no matter what reasons I had!
Silica [reassuringly]: Well, so far, nobody seemed to mind. I think everyone can at least somewhat understand where you were coming from! Actually, many other members of the Assault Team were absent, too.
Lisbeth: Yeah, I get the feeling a lot more wouldn't have come if joining that raid hadn't been seen as… well, mandatory. [slightly annoyed] But speaking of that reminds me: [to Sinon] Where the hell is Akinym at?! I don't think he has any excuse for not joining us today, yet… I figured you two would show up here together, but since you haven't…
Sinon: Well, it's Sunday. Don't ask me why, but he always is nowhere to be found on Sundays.
Lisbeth: Great… And that after telling everyone off for caring about the fate of the goblins! Who was it again who said that the Assault Team should care more about clearing the remaining floors than about the NPCs? The nerve of that guy!
Silica: Now, now, Liz-san! We've already talked about this, haven't we? Since we're going to fight anyways – for our own reasons – there's no need to complain about that, is there?
Lisbeth [sighs]: I know, I know! I just can't believe that someone who talked so big and told everyone to focus on clearing the game would ditch us because… [slightly upset] because of God-knows-what reason!
While most of them didn't have such harsh thoughts, they could at least understand where Lisbeth was coming from. Sinon, in particular, couldn't help but wonder what might keep Akinym busy – because she absolutely couldn't imagine him to stay out of such an important battle without a good reason.
Whatever the reasons might've been: Kirito had completed his "mission" here, and he'd learnt what Asuna wanted to know, so…
Kirito: Well, I guess I'll head back to Asuna – [thinks] that is, if she's finished talking with those guys from earlier. [says aloud] I guess we'll see each other during the strategy meeting, or during the battle later.
With that, he took his leave. The girls stayed where they were and kept chatting for now.
As he was walking around the area where the raid party was gathering, Kirito also took some time to check who else would participate in the upcoming battle against the Desert Demon. Their forces had almost gathered completely, and the first thing that came to Kirito's mind with regard to this was the fact that their numbers were much, much lower than the day before. Well, it was only natural, given that the scope of the battle ahead of them was incomparably smaller than the one they'd fought the other day.
Counting some halfway familiar faces, Kirito spotted Yamata and the party the DDA had sent – they'd limited their contingent to a single party this time, for various reasons – or the unit of the KoB, which was led by a player by the name of Schneider, who was kind of like a deputy to Max. Well, there was a specific reason why Asuna's second-in-command wasn't there, and that also applied to many others, including the likes of Agil and the Two-Handed Builders.
Getting an overview over the assembled raid party took almost no time, so Kirito started looking for Asuna and spotted her before long. From the looks of it, she hadn't finished her talk with the guys from earlier.
Said group was a party of four. Two of them… looked pretty haggard, to be honest, and that was putting it mildly. The two others, including the leader of that group, didn't seem happy at all. In fact, they were eyeing their two comrades extremely indignantly… and it wasn't just them. From the looks – and sounds – of it, Asuna gave them a harsh scolding.
Asuna: ...but you went anyway, and now that's what's happening! Honestly, this is causing a problem for everyone here!
Party Leader [apologetically]: Indeed… I'm very sorry for this trouble, Asuna-san! I guess I should've kept an eye on them, but…
Asuna: It is how it is… We've already had this problem with other parties this morning.
Party Leader: I see… If it's any help, [looks at his party member who's still in good shape] the two of us could still fight.
Asuna [shakes her head]: Thank you for the consideration, but I'm not sure how well a party of two who are more used to fighting in a larger group will do during this boss battle, and I doubt that you'd be able to coordinate well with random other players if I teamed you up with them, or do you see this differently?
Party Leader [slightly frustratedly]: You might be right… It's just… If at all possible, I'd like to handle this… faux-pas discreetly, [irritatedly] and without informing the Grey E… Akinym.
Asuna [slightly contemplatively]: I see… Hm… I suppose we have more important concerns, so I'll treat this as just another case of a party that couldn't attend the battle due to fatigue.
Party Leader: You have my gratitude. [sternly, to his party] Okay, you've heard her! We're dismissed… because of you dimwits! Let's go!
They left as their bad mood was basically seeping out of their faces. Well, the two apparently really tired players just shuffled along. Meanwhile, Asuna looked after them, only letting out a disgruntled sigh because of what had just happened.
Kirito: Hey, Asuna! What was up with them? I think I've heard you saying something about "not attending the battle due to fatigue". I mean, they looked as if they'd pulled an all-nighter, so…
Asuna [slightly irritatedly]: To be honest, that's exactly what happened. Apparently, two of those four were at the lizardmen's party last night, and they seriously overdid it. They hardly slept at all, and they're in no shape to fight a field boss. If they did, they'd only be a liability… Honestly, that's the third party who did that!
Add to that the fact that it was quite early – a pure necessity for the same reason as the day before: The temperature would rise insanely in a few hours, and this time, they wouldn't even fight in a somewhat insulated environment like a fortress, but out in the open. This battle had to be fought before it would get too hot, but this also meant that everyone had to get up really early.
In light of all of that (and more), it wasn't at all surprising that many players were sleep-deprived.
Kirito [slightly soothingly]: It really is that bad, isn't it? Do you think we're going to be okay, fighting the boss like this?
Asuna: Probably. I've kind of anticipated something like this. Raiding the last base of the goblins yesterday was already hard – and taxing – and the Clearers made it… [slightly exasperatedly] quite clear that they wanted to celebrate their victory after that, [flatly] so there were bound to be some people who'd be burnt out. That's why I've asked for more parties to come than we'd actually need: So that we could still get a full raid party despite some… dropouts. [slightly upset and dejectedly] but it's worse than I thought. Aside from the parties who can't participate at all, most of the others are missing at least some members.
Now that she mentioned it, Kirito had thought that the number of people who were present was awfully… low. At the moment, not even thirty players had gathered for the boss battle, and for all Kirito knew, that might be about everyone who'd come.
Asuna: On that note: What about Sinon and Akinym-san? And Liz and the others?
Kirito: They're all here. Well, almost. Liz' party is complete – she, Leafa, Silica and Philia are all here. Sinon's also come, but Akinym hasn't. According to Sinon, we shouldn't count on him joining us today.
Asuna [slightly worriedly]: I see… That's one more person who won't be here for the battle. [calmly] It doesn't surprise me, though, since Akinym-san looked quite tired yesterday after the council meeting. I guess it's only natural after the long campaign on the ninety-fifth floor, [worriedly, slightly confusedly] although it's rare to see him being so worn out, especially since he didn't fight that much yesterday… [slightly exhaustedly] Anyway, it can't be helped. At least Sinon could make it, as well as the others – that's good to hear.
Kirito: True that. [curiously] Hm, but now that you mentioned the meeting yesterday: I've been wanting to ask you if Akinym, Shivata and you could come up with any ideas. What have the three of you decided on?
Asuna: You mean regarding the missing key to the labyrinth?
As if on cue, the two of them turned towards the labyrinth tower. On the other side of the area that was protected by the Desert Demon, they could clearly see the gate that sealed the entrance – a gate that would likely remain shut on this day.
Asuna [exhaustedly, at a loss]: I wish there was anything we could think of. Shivata-san and Akinym-san agreed that the system will probably create a workaround for the missing goblin key, but since it's completely unclear what that workaround might be… [calmly] We've decided to continue with the field boss battle today, just as planned, and to start searching for the key afterwards. It's likely to appear somewhere in the goblin territory – [slightly frustratedly] well, former goblin territory – [calmly] so the smaller guilds will start looking there, and they'll search for any related quests. Also, I think I'll ask the KoB parties to check the previous floors for any new quests.
Kirito: Hm? Why do you think there'd be any leads there?
Asuna: We can never know… It wouldn't be the first time a quest on a lower floor is connected to clearing the current one. Maybe the goblins smuggled the key out to another floor or something along those lines. I know it's a stretch, but I'd rather play it safe and cover the possibility.
Kirito: Well, you're not wrong, and I doubt that there's any harm in trying, so…
Their conversation was cut short by a slight commotion around them. Apparently, most of the other players turned their attention to the next group who'd arrived. Once Kirito and Asuna checked who said group was, they could overall see why: These newcomers were Kem'Pal and about a dozen other lizardmen, and they were accompanied by Fuurinkazan – which, at this point, honestly goes without saying.
Neither the NPCs nor the players wasted any time and walked over to Asuna to greet her.
Klein: Yo, Asuna, Kirito!
Kem'Pal: Asuna-dono, I see you're already here for the next battle, and you, too, Kirito-kun.
Asuna: Indeed. Since you've come here, General, I take it that you intend to join us?
Kem'Pal confirmed it with a nod, which didn't come as a surprise. The lizardmen had occasionally been hinting at joining the players in the battle against the field boss if they won the war against the goblins… which they had. From the look of it, the equivalent of two full parties was joining their ranks, which, as far as Asuna was concerned, was help she'd accept gratefully.
Kem'Pal: You've fought for the sake of our race, and it was thanks to this alliance that we could secure our homeland, and now it's time for us to repay this debt and to help you get back to yours. The least we will do is to lend you our strength in your battle against the Desert Demon. [apologetically] Unfortunately, I doubt that my men would follow you inside the Celestial Tower, that's just not a place where we belong. It's too bad, because…
Kem'Pal suddenly hesitated, which caused quite a lot of either worry or suspicion among those around the lizardman general.
Asuna: Is something the matter?
Kem'Pal: I think I can reveal this now, but the guardian beast inside the highest chamber of the Celestial Tower is probably an abomination we're partly responsible for. It's a horrendous crossbreed between a lizardman and a Scaleless Turnip, which our ancestors created in hopes of defeating the Desert Demon. Sure enough, it drove off that creature, but it went out of control in the end and went on a rampage inside the Celestial Tower. In the end, both races agreed that this monstrosity had to be sealed away for the sake of everyone, so we've created the gate that blocks the Celestial Tower. I'm sure that our horrific creation still dwells inside…
Asuna [thinks] Is that… intel on the floor boss?
The story of every floor usually contained some sort of background to the respective floor boss, and that lore was generally a good source of information. This time, it told them that the floor boss of the 95th floor had traits of the lizardmen and of the goblins from this floor. Asuna theorised that it might switch between two different battle modi, each representing the characteristics of one of the two races: The boss might move fast and nimble at times, and it might switch to dealing out extremely heavy, but also very rough blows.
Alas, Asuna shelved these thoughts for now. There was another battle coming up, and she had to focus on that for now. She could get her thoughts on the floor boss in order afterwards.
Kem'Pal: The Desert Demon has since returned. I suppose it's time for us to face it now! With our scaleless allies, I'm certain that we can succeed where our ancestors and the Scaleless Turnips failed!
So far, so good. What happened after that, however, caught everyone by surprise. An exclamation mark appeared above Kem'Pal's head. The eyes of the surrounding players went wide as they saw this typical indicator of progress in a quest.
Kem'Pal: You've fought valiantly for our sake, and the lizardmen will never forget that! Not only did you fight to ensure our victory, you did everything in your power to save as many of our kin as possible, and you didn't even allow a single one of our bastions to fall! To repay our debt, we'll do absolutely everything in our power to make sure that all of you will survive this battle! Men, you've heard me, haven't you? So, for the honour of the lizardmen, give it your all, fight by our scaleless allies' side, and protect them with everything you've got if need be!
The quest icon above Kem'Pal disappeared again, but the surprise it had caused remained. Kirito, in particular, wondered what quest this might be connected to. Certain phrases Kem'Pal had used had stood out to him, and he reckoned that this was about the quest "Save the Lizardmen". So far, the Assault Team had no clue what exactly the point of this particular part of the war campaign was, but after hearing what Kem'Pal had just said, Kirito wondered if the outcome of said quest determined how far the lizardmen would go in order to help the players with their battle against the Desert Demon.
Now that he thought about it, how many lizardmen had actually died? Kirito vaguely remembered picking up the number 61 from a conversation he'd overheard. Well the majority of the lizardmen who'd participated in the attack on the goblin HQ the other day had died – in particular, all lizardmen who'd fought Leodas the Goblin General – that is, with the exception of Kem'Pal – had been decimated. Aside from that, however, the players had done an outstandingly good job at defending the NPCs and their citadels, and now they apparently were rewarded for that.
Meanwhile, Asuna had some… concerns about that. Kem'Pal made it sound as if the NPCs would throw themselves into the line of fire whenever any of the players would be in danger in the next battle, and that wasn't an idea she supported. The plan was for all combatants to leave the battlefield alive.
What was up with the system lately anyway? First, the Assault Team was forced to extinguish a whole civilisation, and now a bunch of NPCs became this willing to sacrifice themselves? With requirements/events like this, Asuna couldn't help but worry what else they'd be expected to do in order to clear the last remaining floors.
Asuna: There will be no need for that! We appreciate your concern, and we'll gladly accept your help, but let's find a strategy to ensure everyone's survival! [contemplatively] Speaking of which, the raid party should be complete. Let me think… [seriously] Yes, we're not expecting anyone else, so it's time for the strategy meeting… or maybe I should call it the strategy briefing today, given that there's not much to discuss. Anyway, this way!
Asuna led the way to the edge of the sandy area where the boss battle would take place. She called out to the various parties around them, asking them to follow her. Kem'Pal watched her doing so with a calm, slightly curious look in its eyes.
Kem'Pal: Hm… I take it that Asuna-dono will assume the command today, too?
Klein: Yeah! I've told you, Kem: She's usually in charge of our big fights!
Kem'Pal [nods curtly]: I suppose she did alright yesterday, but if I have to be honest, I'm tempted to suggest you for the position of our commander instead, Klein-dono!
Klein [casually, slightly sheepishly]: Hehe, come on, Kem! That's going a bit too far!
They got going, too, although Klein and Kem'Pal kept "discussing" this matter. For the moment, Kirito stayed where he was, looking after the odd duo and their entourage with a puzzled expression. Truly, what would become of those two? He couldn't help but wonder…
In the end, he came to the conclusion that there was no point in fussing over that now, especially since the raid party was getting ready to start, so he should join their preparatory meeting, too. However, just as he was about to make the first step towards Asuna and the others, two hands were wrapped around his head, covering his eyes in a gesture that was so sudden that it was downright scary.
Unknown: Guess who, guess who!
That voice… It sounded familiar. Judging from the high pitch, it was clearly a girl's voice, and that was further affirmed when this person, who'd suddenly appeared out of nowhere, pressed their… body against Kirito's back – you could say that he could feel it. Given their chirpy tone and the playful behaviour, was there any doubt who they were?
Kirito [confusedly]: S-strea?!
Kirito was "released", and when he turned around, he came face to face with exactly the sight he'd suspected: Strea's usual bright smile!
Strea: Bingo! The candidate gets full points!
Kirito [slightly exasperatedly]: That's good to hear, but why are you here, Strea?! We're about to fight the field boss on this floor, so I – or any of the others – have no time to play around right now!
Strea [pouts]: Meanie, why do you treat me like a bother? I wanted to visit you guys at Agil's inn, but Agil told me that you'd be here, and that you'd be busy for a while. It's been like that all the time throughout the last two weeks, so I thought, "Fine, then I'll just have to go where you are!"
Kirito: Y-you… You wanted to see us that desperately?
Strea [cheerfully] Yep! Well, and I thought I could surprise you if I used my stealth skill, so I've stayed hidden until now. It seemed like a good opportunity to catch you unawares for once! [slightly surprised] Oh, right! [happily] This is the first time you didn't notice me at all, right? Right!?
Kirito was at a complete loss for words as he watched Strea celebrate her finally achieved "victory".
It was at times like this – which, to be honest, essentially meant "times when he met Strea" – that he couldn't make heads or tails of this girl. Between her unequalled lack of any sense of shame and her bubbly, oftentimes flippant attitude, Kirito sometimes wondered if Strea really was human – for he had his doubts that a human being could be so… generally upbeat. At times like this, he always felt compelled to check her cursor, but whenever his eyes drifted towards it, the sight only ever confirmed it: Strea was indeed a player.
Kirito [sighs]: Alright, but for real, Strea: Agil is right, we are busy right now, so please don't disturb anyone, okay?
Strea: Hm? [casually] Hmmm… Fine! You've said something about a boss battle, right? Hmmm…
A part of Kirito wanted to get going, but could he really leave Strea alone right now? It wasn't so much that he was worried, it was just that her expression made him wonder what ideas she might come up with next. She seemed to contemplate something… or maybe she was just staring off into space. When it came to Strea, Kirito could never tell the difference.
Strea: In that case, why don't I just join you? Problem solved! Yay!
Kirito [thinks]: Is… Is she for real?! She wants to join a field boss battle out of the blue, just like that?! [says aloud] Wait a second, Strea! Are you serious?! This is a huge deal, you know? We're talking about the field boss of this floor! That's dangerous, even for seasoned Assault Team members!
Strea: Oh, come on, Kirito! You know I'm a big girl who can take care of herself, and you, Asuna and all these "seasoned Assault Team members" are also gonna be there, so where's the harm?
Kirito wasn't convinced – not at all. He'd feel much more comfortable if Strea stayed out of this battle. She'd be safe for sure that way.
That said, there was one argument he couldn't get out of his mind, even though Strea hadn't even brought it up: They kind of were short on hands, weren't they? Asuna probably would welcome another few capable fighters – or even just one more.
If Kirito had to be completely honest, Strea fit the bill. She'd been right about one thing: Strea was indeed strong. While she was – for whatever reason – not officially a member of the Assault Team, Strea could stand her ground on the highest floors… on her own, at that. Both her skill levels and her stats were nothing to sneeze at, and she had the skill as a player to back that up.
Well, there were special requirements for the battle against the Desert Demon, but those were mostly about a weight limit. Aside from her two-handed greatsword, Strea only used quite light equipment… which was actually fairly uncommon for anyone with a Strength-Vitality built such as hers. Anyway, she probably wouldn't have any trouble with those "limitations".
Frankly, Strea could be of tremendous assistance to them.
There was the issue of her not being part of the Assault Team, though… Kirito remembered a certain incident on the 93rd floor, when the DDA had "caught" Strea there, despite the fact that it'd been "their" floor. This had caused quite a commotion, especially when Sunny Tzu had started to insinuate that Strea, who was an acquaintance of Asuna, might've been sabotaging the DDA on behalf of the KoB. Nobody outside the DDA had bought that, and Asuna had eventually managed to convince everyone to turn a blind eye on Strea's faux pas since Strea wasn't a member of the Assault Team and therefore ultimately not bound by the decisions the Council made, at least not to the same extent as the actual Clearers. Even so, they had also come to the conclusion that Strea should stay away from the front-line floors to avoid any further trouble.
Kirito [contemplatively]: Hm, that's a tough one… [seriously] Okay, Strea, here's what we're gonna do: I'll ask Asuna, and if everyone is okay with it, we'll find a party for you to join, [slightly sternly] but you'll have to listen to her, and if she says you need to leave, you have to go! Got it?
Strea: Okay!
Kirito wasn't sure how reassuring this response was, but he had to take it. The two of them met up with the rest of the raid party to put Strea's wish to join the battle forward.
Some players had some doubts, but Strea was admitted into the raid party this time, albeit on the condition that she'd have to forfeit any rare drops she'd get. There were, of course, those who found that unfair, but the majority of the raid party members didn't want to share the loot with an "outsider", especially if there was anything valuable, and nobody could talk them out of that attitude. Well, Strea accepted that condition in a heartbeat anyway, so there wasn't really a problem… at least as far as Strea herself was concerned.
Thus it was decided that Strea would fight alongside Silica, Lisbeth, Leafa and Philia in this battle.
And with that, everything is set for the boss battle. Well, almost. There's still the strategy meeting, but that will be short (shorter than the one in chapter 55), and it will transition directly into the battle.
The name "Schneider" - just like "Max" - comes straight from the actual game, Re:Hollow Fragment. Like Max, Schneider is one of the KoB NPCs who may join the player in floor boss battles.
Speaking of the game, depending on how much you know/remember about its plot, you may know that there's a scene with Strea that is similar to the one here. In the game, it happens right before the floor boss battle on the (I think?) 95th floor. Well, since I'm not going to cover that battle (I have other plans), that wasn't an option, but I definitely want to include Strea's role from the original story, so I've preponed it. Well, and with that said, you might know what's about to go down...