Chapter 03: Boss Battle Against The Kobold Lord

Boss Chamber, Floor 001 (10:06, December 3rd 2022)

Tsuna gulped as everyone of the volunteered frontliners stood before the massive door, with Diavel standing before them all. A few meters away, Kirito stood by with a hooded female beside him, whom he'd earlier introduced to Tsuna as Asuna.

"And that's all from me." Diavel finished the recapping of the strategy to the gathered players. "Any last questions?"

Tsuna had a burning one, but Kirito's hand shot up first.

"Just one, actually. What if the warning about changes in the game happens here too?" Kirito asked as all eyes turned to him. "Diavel, as our leader, can I assume that you'll give the order to retreat?"

Ah, there it was. The permission to retreat. While Tsuna would've loved to be as brave as his Party members thought he was, he really still valued their lives more than winning. If Diavel would confirm that he would give the order to retreat if things got out of hand, he wouldn't have do so himself.

"If we can't handle it, I will give that order. Human life is the top priority." Diavel confirmed, prompting sighs of relief from not just Tsuna, but a couple more players. "Even so, our simulated battle strategy was perfect. Nobody's going to die."

'...I feel like we just jinxed it.' Tsuna silently thought.

"Well, with that out of the way..." Diavel unsheathed his sword and nodded towards the Raid members. "Let's win this thing."

Turning about and pressing the stone doors open, Diavel lead the charge into the Boss Chamber.

"Listen up, brat." Kibaou harshly whispered as he passed by. "Yer better not get cocky and step outta line."

"You too, Kibaou-san. I'd hate to see you die just because you took the time to harass me." Tsuna shot back, causing his Party members and a few other players to quietly snicker. 'WHY DID I SAY THAT?!'

Kibaou merely growled before moving ahead.

As soon as they entered deep enough, the darkened chamber lit up in bright pastel shades of red. From the other end of the chamber, a loud unholy roar sounded off before something soared through the air towards them.

When it landed, rather than dust from the impact, it was fire instead that burst and spread. Pressure from the vermillion flames slammed into them all like a heavy wave, somehow making Tsuna feel the urge to scratch at skin he knew was virtual. Standing up to it's full height of 2 meters, the strange dog-lizard hybrid breathed menacingly, it's reddish fur and some parts of grey armor adding to it's demonic look as it wielded a humongous bone-axe in one hand, the leather shield on his other limb also seeming big enough to crush a normal person in one go.

Above the monster's head, four HP bars rose up into existence, along with it's name.

Illfang the Kobold Lord

Not trusting his voice, Tsuna tapped Irichi's shoulder and pointed.

Not trusting his voice either, Irichi somehow understood the unasked question and violently shook his head.

'Ah. So the Flames really aren't supposed to be here...' Tsuna grimaced before slapping his cheeks and readying his sword, his motions snapping the others out of their shock.

"His main weapon is a Bone Axe! Backup weapon is a Talwar! Accompanied by three sentinels!" Diavel's roar sounded out, his last sentence being confirmed by three smaller but heavily armored kobolds emerging from the Storm Flames around their Lord. "The Flames are new but everything else matches the intel!"

A bastion of courage and strength to them all, Diavel drew his sword and pointed it at the Kobold Lord. "Commence attack!"

With that, the Raid rushed forward to battle.

"Squad A! Squad C! Switch!"

"Here it comes! Squad B, block!"

"Squad C, keep guarding and prepare to Switch!"

"Now! As you fall back, prepare to flank him! Watch out for his Flames!"

"Squads D, E and F, keep the sentinels off us!"

The 'Boss Battle' quickly dissolved into chaos, only barely controlled with Diavel giving orders from the rear as he commanded the Raid squads around to fight.

Illfang proved to possess battle prowess just as monstrous as it's appearance, it's mighty attacks always blasting back defenders despite their blocks, the Disintegration factor of it's Flames often eating through the players' HP like acid.

However, the players somehow hadn't lost anybody yet, which was a small mercy, as Tsuna really didn't need the distraction.

"Switch!"

At Chrome's call, Tsuna took over the fight as she fell back, swinging his sword against the sentinel's mace. Holding it down for a second, Tsuna kicked forward and stomped hard on the kobold's foot. As it reeled back, Tsuna pushed forward and decapitated it.

Tsuna took a moment to down a hastily removed potion before dodging aside as a Kobold Sentinel appeared to replace it's fallen brethren. "Switch!"

Around them, the battle raged on differently for others.

"Drink the damn potion!" Kibaou could be seen actually forcing a potion down the throat of a player with a dangerously low HP bar.

Beside him, Chrome and Irichi tag teamed the Kobold Sentinel with the former finishing it off. Looking around to find TakeSushi, Tsuna searched for Kirito's squad and...

Tsuna joined in Asuna's gawking as TakeSushi and Kirito tore into a Kobold Sentinel, the duo seamlessly attacking without getting in the other's way until the monster exploded into polygons.

'Amazing... TakeSushi-kun and Kirito-kun...' Tsuna thought as he sidestepped a downwards strike before cutting at the kobold's waist. 'You'd think they knew each other before this game, but they don't...'

While they handled the mooks, the assault team had done well in their attempts to whittle down most of Illfang's HP. With a final series of slashes from a purple-haired scythewoman, the Kobold Lord's HP bars finally emptied down to a single bar, prompting it to let out a roar before ridding itself of it's ax and shield.

"Yes! He ditched the axe!"

"Looking good! We're almost there!"

"The intel was right!"

"Here comes the secondary weapon!" Diavel warned as he charged forward to join the assault team. "Remember, the weak point is his throat! Squad C, front! The next bout will be the last!"

Growling menacingly, Illfang's fangs twitched into a smirk as it reached behind for the heavily bandaged weapon and pulled it free, Storm Flames burning away the bandages to reveal...

"That's not a talwar...!" Irichi's eyes widened at the sight of Illfang holding up a massive black katana-like weapon in it's grip.

"Get away!" Tsuna screamed just as Kirito yelled.

"That's a nodachi, not a talwar!" Kirito shouted as Diavel and Squad C got too close. "You'll get hit by a range attack!"

Kibaou only had a second to cast suspicious glares at them before Illfang roared and leapt upwards. Slamming back down with it's nodachi wreathed in roiling red fire, Illfang swung down with a vengeance once it landed, unleashing a wave of Storm Flames that engulfed the assault team.

"Argh!" Diavel groaned as he, along with many of the assault team as they were rendered barely able to move from the attack. "A stun effect...? No, it feel like I actually got burned for real...!"

Illfang growled as it stood up into it's full height, glaring down at a player who was unfortunately too close to it.

"No... no...!" The player cried as he scrambled backwards, unable to get away from the Kobold Lord's follow up attack. "NO!"

Just as Illfang swung down, it was now successfully blocked this time as Diavel had gotten to his feet and between Illfang and the player with a now flaming shield, the two Flames roiling against each other before blasting apart in a bursting wave of light and heat.

"D-Diavel-han!" Kibaou wasn't the only one who stared at the scene with a mix of awe and relief.

"Sky Flames?!" The scythewoman exclaimed in surprise as the shockwave rolled over her.

"Hurry up, tanks! He's gonna attack again!" Kirito roared as he charged forward, his words snapping others out of their reverie as Asuna ran along at his side. "Take care of Squad C, their HP bars are too low!"

"We're on it!" Agil was the first tank to respond, he and the others readying themselves. "What about you? Your equipment's too light-"

""We'll draw him away!"" Kirito and Asuna roared in unison as they blitz rushed the Kobold Sentinel that had been unfortunate enough to spawn right before them.

"After them!" Tsuna yelled to his Party members before rushing forward as well. "Give them all the support we can! Irichi, get the downed players away and give them potions! Chrome, we're gonna clear a path!"

"Right!" Chrome and Irichi agreed as they joined Tsuna in charging forward, the former helping him with taking out a Kobold Sentinel while Irichi unequipped his blades to grab two players at once and drag them back away from the danger.

"Good job, everybody!" Diavel shouted as he observed everyone's efforts while deflecting another flaming swing with his Sky Flame-enhanced shield, before noticing Kirito and Asuna's approach. "Okay, now! Deflect the next swing while I go for the throat!"

Diavel's blazed with a charging Sword Skill as he briefly abandoned defense, the {Rage Spike} bolstered by the Sky Flames raging forth. "This should do it!"

Then suddenly, Tsuna had a horrible gut feeling. it had usually popped up now and then, saving Tsuna from quite a couple of dangerous situations. However, never had it screamed as badly it had now as Tsuna watched Illfang prepare to swing again.

"No, Diavel! Focus back on defense!" Kirito screamed as he raced towards their Raid leader. "Don't start your Skill motion-"

What followed was almost too fast to catch.

Unlike the previous blast, Illfang's next attack had now been chocked full of speed instead of power, a searing bloody line that had Kirito hastily tackling Asuna down to avoid while Tsuna did the same for Chrome. Panting from the effort, Tsuna looked up from the ground and instantly regretted it.

From Chrome's harsh gasp, she'd raised her head too.

Illfang's growled in triumph, Diavel's sword caught between it's teeth as the Flames on them became snuffed out.

Diavel himself was worse off, his bent over form flickering horribly as he started to stagger back with the top half of his head missing. Tsuna wasn't sure if Diavel was aware, but his arm still shakily reached out in Kirito's direction, towards the last person who'd spoken to him. "Please... T-Take it... from here-"

Diavel disappeared into a burst of polygons, instead falling down like a killed human being should've.

The silence that followed was sickening to Tsuna, his eyes stuck on Diavel's spot. In the end, the silence was broken by Diavel's killer itself.

"SKREEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

At Illfang's roar, more of his Sentinels appeared, their numbers suddenly tripling.

"Wh-What's going on?!" Kibaou roared. "There's only supposed to be three of 'em!"

"S-Stay back!" The player that had been saved by Diavel scrambled back as a Sentinel approached him, only to be saved again by the scythewoman.

However, there was now the remarkable difference of her scythe having it's blade wreathed in shimmering blue edged in indigo as she swiftly cut down Kobold Sentinels almost as quickly as they spawned.

"She's drawing aggro!" Tsuna yelled out, rallying the others. "Everyone with too low HP bars need to fill them back up, no matter your role! Everyone else, keep on the assault and help her!"

"You all heard him!" Agil shouted as he dragged someone back. "Get out your potions, damnit! Keep your health in the green as much as possible!"

"Chrome, help out Irichi!" Tsuna rushed forward as soon as he filled up his HP bar. "TakeSushi, we're going after Illfang!"

An hour ago, Tsuna would've stared at his current self like he was a complete stranger. But right now, as TakeSushi shouted his confirmation and charged after him, Tsuna couldn't find it in him to care.

He didn't have the time or luxury to care. That would come after.

"Mito!" Asuna suddenly shouted out as a Kobold Sentinel suddenly gained a lucky hit on the scythewoman's back. With a shout of hers, she blitzed forward from Kirito's side and ran through the Kobold Sentinel's side.

"We're getting in on the action, too!" Kibaou roared as he led a fresh charge towards the Kobold Sentinels. "C'mon, over here!"

Just as Kirito was blasted back by another of Illfang's flaming swings, Tsuna ran past him, slipping under the blade to cut at the monster's leg.

"Switch!"

At Tsuna's call, TakeSushi met Illfang's blade with his own, entering a brief clash as he repeatedly met {Aoigetsu} against the black blade until his HP bar went below half from the Storm Flame's constant onslaught. "Switch!"

Just as Kirito reared up to take over, a brilliant {Linear} slammed into Illfang's side, actually launching it's off it's feet from how fast Asuna had hit it. "Switch!"

Kirito's eyes widened however at the Kobold Lord's actions. "Not yet! Duck!"

Obeying instantly, Asuna managed to dodge the ultrafast swing that would've decapitated her before retaliating with another {Linear}. "Switch!"

This time, Tsuna rushed forward with a {Slant} that halted Illfang's sword. "Switch!"

TakeSushi slashed down on Illfang's left shoulder, almost getting at the neck. "Switch!"

Just as Illfang activated a Sword Skill and swung forward, Kirito met it with one of his own, the two attacks cancelling each other out. "Switch!"

This time, Agil was the one to answer, his double bladed ax striking into Illfang with a powerful {Whirlwind}. "I don't like how low your HP's looking! Get back and fuel up! We can weather this bastard, right boys?!"

There was an approving roar as a few other tanks aided their fellow tank in holding back Illfang,

"Right, let's go!" Tsuna retreated with TakeSushi in tow right into Irichi, the latter's arms filled with potions.

"Drink up!" Irichi hastily shoved the potions away before leaping forward to stab one of his {Aurora Kukris} into an approaching Kobold Sentinel's neck.

"So what's the plan?" TakeSushi asked as soon as his HP went back into the green. "We need something decisive, right?"

"The problem is that it's too fast." Tsuna frowned as he heard Kirito shout a warning just before it unleashed another of it's ultrafast omnidirectional swings when it was surrounded. "First, we need to get rid of that weapon. Or at least, find a way to make sure it can't use it. Do you think we could break it?"

"Not without a fellow Storm... or maybe a Lightning or Rain?" TakeSushi sent his sword a frustrated glance. "If anything, our most likely option is to hit it faster than it can hit back."

"ALL EYES UP HERE!"

Everyone turned to look as Asuna suddenly yelled at the top of her lungs, ripping off her hooded cloak to reveal a stunningly pretty girl with long chestnut hair. "I WILL NOW RELAY THE LAST WORDS OF DIAVEL THE KNIGHT!"

Asuna pointed at the looming figure of Illfang as Agil and the others held him at bay. ""Defeat... the Boss...!" and one more thing...!"

Asuna turned and rested her rapier on Kirito's shoulder. ""Should I fall, the next leader of the Raid shall be Him!""

Kirito looked just as shocked and confused as Tsuna felt. "Wha...?"

"I heard it too!" Agil shouted from his area, leaping back from a lash of the acidic red fire. "Plus, he recognizes the Boss's Skills! If we trust in Diavel and want victory, follow that guy's orders!"

"Y-Yer can't be serious!" Kibaou protested.

'Diavel... said something like that...?' Tsuna wondered before nodding in acceptance and turning to his Party members. "Chrome, Irichi, help with the retreating! TakeSushi, we're making another go for the Boss!"

"""RIGHT!"""

Kirito groaned before breathing deeply. "For now, everyone fall back! Everyone who's recovered, get back into battle!"

At Kirito's orders, a semblance of order returned, allowing the players to reorganize themselves.

"Squad B, here comes the area attack! Dodge downwards and back if you can't block it!"

"G-Got it!"

"Squad D, pull back and deal with the Sentinels! Squad B can't split their attention away from Illfang!"

""Okay!""

"Illfang's last HP down to half! Let's give that bastard GM a big FUCK YOU by beating this asshole!"

"""FUCK YOU, GM!"""

"Little shit." Kibaou muttered at the sight of Kirito leading the others. "Thinks he's such a big shot-"

Kirito turned to look at Kibaou... then widened his eyes at something he saw. "Kibaou, tell Squad E to pull away!"

Kibaou turned to see what was panicking Kirito so much and balked at the sight of a player dodging back from a Sentinel's mace... and stepping right into Illfang's range. "Yer moron! Yer got too close!"

As if noticing the unaware prey despite not looking at it, Illfang settled into it's omnidirectional slash again and struck faster than Kibaou could react.

Thankfully, the player got saved by Chrome getting in the way and blocking with her {Dream Prong}, still causing them to get blown away, but saved from instant deaths.

Illfang seemed to take offense from this as it instantly leapt after her, it's cruel snarl prominent as it swung down with it's blazing blade.

"RAAARGH!" Tsuna roared as he leapt before Chrome and copied Kirito's move the best he could, successfully cancelling out Illfang's Sword Skill. However...

*SMASH!*

Tsuna's breath failed at the sight of his {Anneal Blade} breaking apart from the impact, it's durability giving out from an effort far too much for it(due to not having upgraded it as much as Kirito had done for his).

"Tsuna!" Kirito's panicked shout barely pierced the immense panic that had clogged Tsuna's mind. "Get away from there!"

"Tsuna, Chrome, move!" Irichi yelled as Illfang leapt upwards towards the ceiling, about to repeat the first move it had done with it's nodachi. "It's that big one again!"

Roaring with malicious indignance, Illfang launched downwards at the two who had denied it it's recent prey, the black blade ablaze with crimson fury.

There was no way Tsuna could escape death from this. His allies, who could help, were too far. The one he'd tried to protect was below him, still shaken from the hit she'd blocked, was unable to react at all. Tsuna himself was completely unable to block the incoming attack in any manner.

Certain death approached him from above. Tsuna didn't know about the others, but Illfang would surely kill him and Chrome.

To avert that abysmal scenario would be impossible.

To accept that abysmal scenario would be damnable.

So with a will that wholehearted refused at that moment, Tsuna chose and did the impossible by running before he could walk.

Brilliant orange filled his being as Tsuna ignited in every possible manner, a 'crown' of Sky Flames coming to life upon his forehead as his fists clenched and set ablaze.

An explosion of Sky Flames caught everyone unawares as Tsuna clapped his hands together and stopped Illfang's blade dead cold between them.

Careful beware dangerous weapon BREAK IT

Guided by the suddenly strong instinct (intuition?) in him, Tsuna roared as he twisted the blade to his side and punched it hard with his burning fist. By some miracle, it broke apart from the impact, stunning Illfang (along with everyone else again) as it slammed almost helplessly onto the ground.

Almost.

Roaring in utter contempt for it's lost weapon, Illfang wasted no time wreathing it's massive fist in Storm Flames before shooting it forward.

Somehow undeterred by the incoming mass of virtual muscle and fiery aggression, Tsuna retaliated in kind with his own burning fist.

Their fists impacted, a blast of air shooting out from the contact and a shockwave ripped through the air and rippled through both their arms. Behind Tsuna, both Chrome and the saved player were blasted back and away from the battle.

Grunting with effort, Tsuna fired another solid punch at Illfang, burning the Kobold Lord in the arm that he used to block. The human and the monster exchanged another three blows before they each kicked it into high gear, throwing blazing punches at each other so quickly that their arms were just orange red blurs of speed and power.

"A head-on fistfight?!" Agil gawked at the sight.

With every thrown punch, the surge of Sky and Storm Flames rose in intensity around the duo, preventing others from interfering. It was almost like a fantasy-style street brawl as the two flurries of punches met each other head-on, fist against fist, Flame against Flame, the true totality of strength that both could bring forth without the possession of weapons to upset the difference. But in the end, one would show an opening that would lead to his loss.

So when Illfang overextended with a blazing hook, Tsuna charged forward underneath the large arm and sunk his fist into the Kobold Lord's belly.

With every last bit of effort he could put into it, Tsuna directed his punch upwards, sending the Boss monster upwards with a resounding blast. "SWITCH!"

Three swordsmen and the sole scythewoman exploded into action, leaping up after Illfang just as he reached the peak of his flight.

TakeSushi on the left, unleashing a slash coated with shimmering aqua Flames.

Kirito on the right, his sword roaring with billowing amethyst Flames that left shades of orange in it's trail.

Asuna from below, about to thrust into the monster's chest with a rapier blazing with brilliant orange Flames.

Mito from above, about to decapitate Illfang with a scythe that burned with cobalt Flames that flickered indigo at it's edges.

The four struck with spectacular synergy, dealing four decisive strikes that instantly annihilated Illfang's HP and caused him to burst apart before he even landed.

And if they landed in a particular pose-like manner, it was a total coincidence.

For a moment, nobody believed in the sight of the massive explosion of virtual shards as Illfang died. Then the Kobold Sentinel vanished as well while notifications appeared before every plyer, signifying their victory.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Tsuna himself looked stunned at all the Col, EXP and Items he'd received, along with a message.

[Congratulations on your Awakening, Incarnate of the Sky! As one bestowed with the attribute of Harmonization, you possess the capability to create a state where there are no contradictions within your Court!]

'As expected of game lore, it's needlessly cryptic. I wonder what the actual conditions were for unlocking this...' Tsuna thought just before all of his Party members tackled him together.

"""Tsuna!"""

Somehow, Tsuna managed to stand while two people hung off him, while the third and tallest settled for slapping his back.

"Tsuna, that was amazing!" TakeSushi cheered as he gripped his leader's shoulder. "I thought it was game over when your sword broke, but then you went and reminded everyone that you still had fists! How did Sasagawa never recruit you?!"

'Oh, he tried.' Tsuna thought. 'He tried to the EXTREME... God, I can't even think of the word without all of the letters in CAPS.'

Then the Sky Flames flickered away and Tsuna swayed sharply into Chrome's embrace, everything going dark.

"And the kid's out cold. Amazing little guy, though."

Kirito heard Agil whistle as Tsuna's teammates fretted over him, Irichi particularly shoving a potion into Tsuna's mouth as it would help. "Yeah... I didn't expect Tsuna to be a Sky, but his help with our final blows was invaluable."

Indeed, Kirito had come to care much for Tsuna in his own way. After their brief meeting on the frst day, Kirito had stealthily monitored his and Chrome's progress through the game. With his forced separation from Klein and the disaster that was Coper, Kirito had been so glad that there was living proof that one good thing had come of that day.

(Did giving Klein a small tutorial count? Nah, it was before they learnt that they'd logged into a game of death, so it didn't count.)

Unlike Diavel, Kirito was quite sure that Tsuna's death would've hurt him far worse. "I'm so glad he didn't die..."

"Is he your friend?" Asuna asked, with her scythe using friend hovering awkwardly behind her. "That's... Tsuna, right? He's a Sky like me..."

That had been a surprise, to see that the two most unlikely people he knew were actually Skies. According to the game's lore, Skies were implied to be leaders, which Kirito wouldn't have expected from a (hopefully former) suicidal girl and a shrinking violet of a boy.

(He studiously ignored the memory of the orange edging his Cloud Flames.)

But then, this day was already full of surprises-

"WHY?!"

The cry that interrupted the cheering was full of rage and despair, choking with unshed tears.

"Why did you let Diavel-san die?!" It was the guy that had been saved by Diavel earlier, Lind if Kirito was correct. "How dare you celebrate after what you did?!"

"W-What?" Kirito took a dumbfounded step back as Lind glared at him.

"Don't you dare act ignorant!" Lind raged. "You recognized the Boss's Skills! If you'd given that intel upfront, Diavel-san wouldn't have had to die! Or do you expect us to believe that you were countering all those Skills with nothing but luck?!"

The celebratory mood from before was well gone now, leaving them all unsettled. The players muttered with each other as their minds turned to toxic thoughts, none of them having good looks in their eyes as they all started to glare at Kirito.

"Come to think of it, he's right..."

"How did he know how to counter Illfang's new attacks? The guidebook didn't have that stuff."

"Don't tell me it was all lies."

"But it all came from the Beta Testers, right?"

"Hey, that's a dangerous train you're heading off on!" Agil protested.

"Was it the {Last Attack Bonus}?" A voice suddenly called out. If Kirito had been in a better state of mind, he would've noticed how 'off' it sounded. It sounded heated enough... but not from anger like everyone else. "Was that why you were willing to let everyone else head off on false information, Beta Tester?!"

If the air had been cold before, it was now downright frigid.

"Is that true...?" Lind whispered, his eyes shadowed by his hair. "Are you... a Beta Tester? You really let Diavel-san die because a fucking {Last Attack Bonus}?!"

"Wait!" Asuna stepped between them just as Lind took a hateful step forward. "We all got our intel from what we believed! Up until it's last life, didn't Illfang behave as expected? The Flames were a surprise, I'll admit, but there's no way they wouldn't have mentioned that if they knew! Illfang went 'berserk' as it was written. It was just a single change to the expected weapon that made all information past that point useless. Do you think Kirito would've known about all this beforehand and done nothing?!"

"You're quite spirited in defending him." The 'off' voice spoke up again. "Don't tell me... You're a Beta Tester, too?! Just like him, you've been hogging up the juicy stuff while duping the rest of us! Who else is here?! How many stinking Beta Testers are here, too?!"

Kibaou growled at the idea. "So it really was all a lie?! It was all-"

'This is no good...' Kirito frowned at the horrible turn of events. 'At this rate, it'll be a miracle if a witch hunt for the Beta Testers don't start off the moment we all leave.'

Kirito gritted his teeth in frustration. In order to ensure that nobody undeserving died, they all needed to see something other than a Beta Tester as their greatest threat, because apparently, Akihiko Kayaba wasn't enough for them.

"Please... For everyone..."

"Hehe-OOF!" The start of Kirito's fake evil laugh died a grotesque death as a fist slammed home into his cheek, launching him facefirst into Agil's pecs. When he was done blinking the stars from his eyes, he turned to see that his attacker was- "Tsuna?!"

No longer unconscious, Tsuna himself was staring at his fist in complete bewilderment. "I don't know why, but my instinct? Intuition? I just knew you were about to do something stupid and the first solution my mind gave me was to punch your mouth to make shut up..."

"Huh?" Almost everyone replied this single word at... that.

Taking a deep and tired breath, Tsuna turned to face Lind, who took a wary step back. "Lind, right? Tell me exactly why you think Kirito, or any Beta Tester, is to blame for Diavel-san's death. Because when Kirito saw Illfang use a weapon that was clearly different than otherwise, did Kirito here not shout for Diavel to stay back? Did anybody here hear him say anything different? Did Kirito here keep silent? Or just like Kibaou did yesterday, do you just want someone to die in order to satisfy your grief?"

"Oi!" Kibaou growled at that point, stalking forward. "What the hell do yer mean by-"

Kibaou's advance was halted as TakeSushi stepped in protectively between him and Tsuna with his katana equipped, his normally playful eyes steely.

"Lind, I'm sorry for your loss." Tsuna's scathing words turned soft. "While Diavel's death was in no way deliberate, we must still learn from this. Relying completely on Beta Test information is no good... As Beta Testers ourselves, this revelation is even worse off for Kirito and I."

"HUH?!" Irichi exclaimed. "You're n-"

Chrome hastily cut him off with her hand. "I'm sure he'll tell us why later."

"Y-You're a Beta Tester?" Lind staggered back in shock.

"...yes. Yes, I just said so. And I have to live with the fact that the game I spent a long while enjoying has become this. But in the end, I can't do anything more than move on." Tsuna suddenly turned around and headed for the doors that had replaced Illfang's throne, prompting his Party members to follow him. "So if any of you have a problem with me or any other Beta Tester just for nothing more than having played this game earlier than you all..."

Tsuna turned and glared, his tired brown eyes burning into a brilliant amber as Sky Flames burst from his forehead as he glared at them all with a look at somehow tugged at Kirito's very soul. "I'll be coming for you."

Agil shuddered as small flickers of Sun Flames sparked from him. "What was...?"

"Yeah..." Asuna breathed as a lick of Sky Flames flickered off her raised hand.

Kirito joined the others in staring at Tsuna's back he and his Party disappeared, wondering just how little he'd known about his friend-

No, they weren't close enough to have been labelled friends. The closest Kirito currently had were Argo, Klein and Asuna in that order of closeness.

And Tsuna, the farthest of them all and not even a Beta Tester, had just killed off Kirito's sacrificial plan before it could even start.

Kirito thought back to the shaky boy he'd seen that day two months ago, and then thought of the current Tsuna. 'Tsuna... might be the coolest guy I've met.'

"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"That's our Boss for you." Chrome chuckled as she gently patted Tsuna's back while he rocked back and forth in panic against her. "Are you sure you're not just a hero in denial?"

"I wouldn't be surprised at this point." TakeSushi laughed.

"They're so many people who're gonna come after us, now." Irichi muttered as he laid down flat on the ground.

Floor 002 seeming looked to be full of more hills and grassy mountains compared to the Floor below, but none of the first ever Players to step into there cared.

Tsuna didn't know about the others, but he was just worried about his future within the game!

Goddamnit! Did some mysterious entity possess him back there?!

KingVessel: Floor 001 cleared! See ya!