A/N: The Time has come to face the 24th-floor boss, marking this the Warlord's Wrath Online half complete. This boss is going to be one of the toughest matches they have to face. Many teams have fallen, but refuse to back down. They dare to face the Gates of Hell.
AUGUST 26TH, 2023. FLOOR 24, HAILIN.
The Assault Team gathers around at the Town Square.
We've had a rough time this past month. First, it was trying to find the entrance to the floor boss, then building our equipment for a boss fight that, apparently, is a tough as Hell, and finally dealing with the Laughing Coffin members who have been assault our members while building the level and equipment.
It'll all be worth it once we defeat that monster. And with the boss defeated, we will have already make half our way through this prison of a game.
I stand with my team: Kirito, Hope, Leafa, and Rokel.
The whole raid team is 8 teams with 5 on each other. A total of 40 players. Each of us are maxed out on level and equipment. Whatever it is we face in the boss room, we will be able to defeat. But we will make no mistake. A boss powerful enough to destroy three raid groups will likely have an advantage over us.
We will be on our guard. Our minds sharp and focused. Our blades and shields ready for action.
Always.
Heathcliff makes his stand in front of the entire raid team. With Asuna at this side. As usual, he makes his inspiring speech before we depart for the boss fight.
"My fellow members of the Assault Team. In this world, our primary goal is to liberate everyone from the imprisonment of Aincrad. We have already cleared about halfway through the Aincrad. Yet, we now face an imminent threat that has prevented us from moving forward. Already, it has wiped out our previous raid teams, but I have confidant we will defeat the boss, and liberate everyone from the game!"
The entire raid team cheers. I'm the only one who doesn't.
I'm not saying that Heathcliff is untrustworthy. What he says in his speech speaks the truth. But still, I got a strange feeling about him, like he's hiding something. Whatever it is, I can only hope I'll figure it out, and will see it coming when I least expect it.
With Heathcliff taking the lead, we all march on. To face the floor boss.
FLOOR 24, ELITE DUNGEON - BOSS ROOM ENTRANCE.
We have arrived at the entrance to the boss room. We made it through the labyrinth, like a breeze. Nothing we can't handle. The true great threat lies before us.
Heathcliff approaches before the large doors. As he does, I roll my eyes to Hope, then at Rokel. My primary job is to focus on fighting the boss. But if I have to, if these two are in grave danger of the boss fight, I will abandon my position to protect them.
The door opens, ever so slightly. And once it's fully open, Heathcliff yells, 'Let's go!' and we all charge right in. In the room, there is nothing but darkness. Even after we rush in. We run in until we reach all the way into the middle, then the doors close behind us. And vanished.
We searched all around. Nothing but darkness for miles to come. There's no sign of boss anywhere.
It's quiet...too quiet.
I don't like it.
Riddle Riddle.
I heard it. I'm on high alert. I look all around. Trying to figure out where the sound had come from.
Riddle Riddle.
The sound is more clear. It sounds like it's coming from...all around us.
Riddle Riddle. Low Growl.
All around us...or right behind us.
My eyes dart wide open. I sensed it. "ABOVE US!"
We all lookup. Nothing but the blackest of darkness. But still, even in that darkness, we see it.
A monster. A serpent creature made entirely of bones. Its body is very long. About as half the length of the room. Suddenly, the entire room is lit. Everything turning red, and the pit all around us turned to Hellish Flames.
The light exposes our monster, and we're all left horrified.
"What. Is. That?" Asuna asks.
The creature looks down at us with its four burning red eyes and roars as its five Health bars and name appears.
The Skull Reaper.
The monster draws out its four arms, each of them scythes for its hands. That's pretty deadly. The monster drops down from the ceiling. Several of our members stand right in the drop zone.
"Run! Get out now!" I shout.
Awaken by my alarm, the players run. The beast lands right in the center and swipes its scythe arms. Striking the two players in the back. They both come flying from the blow. Kirito and I stepped up and reach out to catch them.
Until they died just as they make contact.
Horrified. All of us.
With a single swipe, killed two of our finest members of the Assault Team.
"With a single swipe?" Klein asks. "How damn powerful is that monster?"
The Skull Reaper roars and charges right towards us. "Stay alert! It's coming!" The Skull Reaper goes for the next player. Instead of running or defending himself, the player panics and screams.
But Heathcliff dives right in and blocks the scythe attack with his shield. Only that failed when the Skull Reaper darts forward and strikes the player with an angled strike of its other scythe. Killing that player.
Three of us dead within the first minute of the fight.
We are literally in the Depths of Hell.
"Block those Scythes!" Heathcliff orders the tanks. "Everyone else, attack from both its sides."
The Skull Reaper makes its next strike, this time at Hope and Rokel. I grow sudden worried I was about to rush in and save them. But then Heathcliff and the tanks blocked the scythes and hold them off. The Skull Reaper is held in place.
1...
All the Swordsman and Assassins rush into the monster's sides.
2...
Unleash all the Sword Skills we can summon.
3...
Then the Skull Reaper Roars and unleash a Tail Strike on its turn. Several players got hit hard, while two more were killed.
Three seconds. We only have three seconds after a block to attack before it gets lose and counterstrikes.
The monster's attacks grow more fierce. Two minutes in and we haven't knocked out a full health bar, and lost seven players. Most of us begin to lose hope. That this is the final battle. Death comes straight for us.
But some of us refuse to accept it. Myself included.
The fight went for what felt like hours. I honestly lost track of time after 30 minutes. Hope and Rokel are still alive, only that's not gonna last long. Cleric's, even the Dreamers and Avatar's, are dangerously low on MP.
We might strike down The Skull Reaper here and now, or all is lost.
The beast roams all over the field, spellcasters locking their magic onto it and fired. The boss shows no signs of wearing down, and we barely get the chance to look at its HP Gauge.
The Skull Reaper comes right at me. Heathcliff and the remaining takes to block its three strikes. Kirito and Asuna together parried the remaining scythe arm, and I charge right in and dealt a critical blow right on its head. Right in between the eyes.
The monster staggered at first, quickly recovered, and strikes all the nearby players. Including me.
We manage to survive, but our health's in the red zone. Out of potions. Our healers out of Mana. We're taking a gamble facing the boss knocking on death's door. Skull Reaper makes its next attack on Klein's group. The defender's block, then Klein and his group attack from below.
Kirito, Asuna, and I throw another strike on the monster's skull. Together, they throw a devastating strike and while the beast is staggered, I used my strongest Sword Skill right in the head. The Skull Reaper roars in agony and it falls.
The boss attempts to get back up. Then we look at its health. In the red zone. "Everyone! Attack!" Heathcliff orders.
All players, even the spellcasters using their staffs and spells, charge in on the beast and deliver everything we've got on it. The Skull Reaper just growls in weakness, must be coming to its senses on the situation. It attempts to get up, but the pain we deliver and its weak stamina prevent it from doing so.
Everything we have against it and its last health point still hasn't vanished. Almost as if unkillable. But we don't stop. The boss is killable. It will die.
The Skull Reaper's body begins to relax. Its intense muscles failing. And at the final drop, so does its HP.
And the Skull Reaper dies.
As we are standing before a giant 'Congratulation', all of us collapse in exhaustion. None of us are even excited by the rewards we earned.
The toughest raid boss we have ever faced, and it drains everything we ever have.
I wouldn't be surprised if most of everyone here spend the rest of the remaining 25 floors still recovering from the loss of energy and stamina.
4 hours.
That's how long it took to defeat the boss.
And within those 4 hours...
"How many did we lost?" Klein asks.
I check the party list. I count how many remains from the boss fight, and subtract from the amount we came with.
"17," I answered.
Nearly half.
This sends a shock to everyone here. If the second to halfway boss is this dangerous, what would the next one be? Or the final one?
It'll be undefeated.
We could be forever trapped in this game.
"Can we even make it to the top?" Rokel asks.
None of us says anything. It does seem hopeless at the time. "We have to try."
Heathcliff is the only one of us that's still standing. He stands tall and proud, his expression serious. We still had a victory here, yea he seems like we didn't.
"Something's wrong." He says.
We're all confused by what he meant. But then I noticed it too.
I stand. Behind us are the doors out of this room. But ahead...
"Nothing..." I step forward, to the hollow dead end. "Why isn't the way to the 25th-floor opening?"
I hear mutters all around. Everyone concern about the strange event happening. We defeated the Skull Reaper. The 24th-floor boss. Yet, the path to the 25th floor isn't opening.
As we wondered in our thoughts. That's when we hear it.
The Ringing of the Bell.
Everyone seems pretty startled by the ringing. "What's that?"
"The calling." Hearing Hope say that sounds troublesome. I don't know what he means, then he explains it. "When the came first started, the bells rang. That's when Kayaba Akihiko showed up. And trapped us in this game."
My eyes open wide hearing that. I remember seeing that announcement. On the news, when I learned the shocking truth that all those players, including Hope, are now trapped.
If the bells are ringing now.
Then that means he's coming.
The one who trapped us.
Who will free us?
FLOOR 1, TOWN OF BEGINNINGS.
Everyone in the raid was automatically teleported from the dungeon. Next thing we know, we appear back in the Town of Beginnings.
But we are not alone.
All the other players all around Aincrad appeared in the town square. Mutters fill the air. I keep my mind sharp, eyes all over. The Game Master is coming. He hasn't appeared anywhere.
I look to the skies. Then I saw it.
'WARNING'
The single sign just blinks, then it spreads all over the skies. Countless 'WARNING' and 'ANNOUNCEMENT' covering the skies, making it as red as blood.
Blood oozes down from the cracks between the warnings.
All the blood gathers in the center of the air, forming into a faceless robed figure.
The Game Master is as big as a God. Facing him now would mean certain death, but I still have my weapon gripped.
"Players! You know me as Kataba Akihiko. The creator of this very world."
Hearing that boils me. He goes on saying he's a God and talks down to us like we're pleased with his 'gifts'. He's none of these things. He's a Slavemaster. A deceiver. A murder.
A monster!
"I have summoned you all here cause you have already cleared the first 24 floors of Aincrad. For that, I give you my congratulations. You are already halfway through defeating the entire Aincrad and earning your return to the real world. And for that, I have a reward for everyone."
I quietly groan as my expression hardens at the mention of this 'reward'. It can't be anything good.
"Those of you who have faced the boss fight, you may have noticed that path to the 25th floor is unclear. That is because this floor is a very special event. Many of you know the terms of your HP reaching zero and you forever leave this world and the real world, rendering Player vs. Player a dangerous way of playing the game. Well, as of now, it is encouraged."
And there it is.
Players all around muttered, some in worry and fear. We've already had murder guilds attacking us. But Legal Murder. That's gonna be some seriously bad news.
"For the 25th floor, the entire floor is going to be an all-out free-for-all Player vs. Player field for a total against 25 players of a class that is most chosen from the very beginning. Where the chosen players will fight each other to the death. But do not fear. Attacking a player during the event on the 25th floor will not label you as a yellow or red player. You will remain as the green player you began as and will leave as one."
My hand shakes with rage. I can't stand to hear this. Even if it's just 25 players against each other, this is still murder. I'm fighting an incredible edge to cut off that faceless head of his.
"The battle between the 25 players will last until only one remains alive. With it, the victor shall be most rewarded and players will have access to the 26th floor. I have sent the chosen 25 players an invitation to fight on the 25th floor. And tomorrow at midnight, these players will be automatically teleported to the 25th floor and the battle will begin. I wish you the best of luck."
On that note, the invisible body dissolves and the robe and gloves fall lifeless.
And the skies turn to normal.
Everyone is horrified to hear this news. Not only we're gonna end up dead in the hands of a player, we'd actually have to kill a player. Very few are exactly excited. The real Red Players.
And while my mind is boiled in rage and disgust, a window appears in front of me.
The invitation.
