A/N: Okay, another long one, man, do I hate large rosters of characters for one scene, that affect will only increase as time goes on. Regardless, review time!
To Isshion: Yeah, the whole shtick with the Incubator was fun, incorporating the puzzles and the two fights as well as my own Composite skill. Happy you liked it all the same.
[Artorias]: Anyone else wanting to question that eerie feeling we're being watched?
[Nagi]: You felt it too?
[Daora]: A new foe... hahaha, lemme take 'em!
[Mito]: On a floor this dangerous, I wouldn't recommend something so reck - he's ignoring me, great...
Enjoy.
|Sword Art Online, Floor 30, Castle Lumina|
|April. 27th, 17:35|
Their subsequent failure to stop Danuja's escape but clear the Black Spindle dungeon brought Nagi's party all the way to the main Safe Haven once more, leaving the dark and foreboding swamps behind for actual sunlight. But once there, they spent their time resupplying with Shirayuki still partied with them, and grabbing an early dinner to settle their nerves and collect themselves. Now, within a private rented room at one of the two cleaner inns.
Present at the sudden meeting were Heathcliff, Asuna, Lind, and Shivata. Argo, for no reason she'd admit out loud, stuck with Nagi for the debriefing. Nagi recounted every event that led up to Danuja and his plot to 'ascend' as part of the Path of Divine Sakura campaign, giving details on how the questline had alters aspects of SAO as a result.
"So, that's what you've been doing this whole time?" Shivata had to ask, looking mildly curious. "Why didn't any broker know about this quest?"
"We knew, but even after sharin' the deets none could complete the hefty requirement of complete mastery with either One-Hand swords or One-Hand curved swordS," Argo explained for him.
"That, and given the nature of this quest, it seems to adapt according to how we interacted with Shirayuki, even if she's an A.I, her level of intelligence is amazing," Nagi admitted, bowing a little. "I apologize for never explaining this sooner, I didn't want to risk any conflict with the other frontrunners, I'm only telling you this due to the severity of a Floor Boss changing this high up Aincrad,"
"Well, there is no harm, after all, to even achieve complete mastery of a skill now after Floor One would take far more work now than ever, so you were in your right not to speak of future quests linked to it," Lind added, giving Nagi the chance to sigh in relief. "Now, onto the pressing concern, if the boss has changed then the intel we've gathered on quests would be useless,"
"Yes, this is troublesome, but the fault cannot rest on you, Nagi, you had no reason to believe an alteration like this would occur," Heathcliff assured the shinobi, but his brow remained furrowed. "We will need to adjust our strategy accordingly, Asuna?"
"Sir; there is some good news, Nagi," Asuna eyed her friend with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "Out of every player in SAO, you've fought Danuja, so your the best guide on how to confront him."
"Problem is, he'll have other skills now that he's gone and cranked up to the title of Floor Boss, A-ChaN," Argo reminded her, crossing her arms. "Situation's a gamble with what we know and don't know, but, I got an ideA,"
"What might that be, Argo?" Lind gestured for her to speak her mind.
"Ya need the most players with the most experience fightin' this guy, so have ol' Hero here gather a team to replace one of yer guilds in this raiD," It took a few seconds for that idea of the grinning rat's to sink in, Shivata's brow shot up, Lind looked at a loss for words. Asuna gaped a bit, and even Heathcliff raised one brow in curious skepticism. The blonde broker shrugged with hands raised a little. "It's about the best way if you wanna avoid any mishapS,"
"You... A-Argo, do... do we even have those numbers?" Nagi knew he had a bunch of friends but would they all be ready to clear a Floor Boss so suddenly. And... he'd be responsible for all their lives in what could only be described as a deadly, fast-paced battle with a master shinobi imbued with darkness.
"Yer about to be, all I gotta do I send a few messages, be like back on Floor Five but with better planniN'," She smirked, nudging his side with her elbow. "Nyahaha! Just my piece anyway, all up to you if ya agreE!"
"It is quite the ask, Argo, however..." Heathcliff was considering it which surprised Nagi and Argo who looked to each other then back. The man's small eyes peered straight at Nagi's. "Nagi, if you had this opportunity, how many would you trust for this battle?"
"How many... um..." He raised his head, eyes closed while his face scrunched up in concentration. "My party, plus Shirayuki, that's five. Klein and his guildmates makes six more, Argo if she were willing-"
"Always aM!" She waved chipperly.
"-The Sleeping Knights would contribute seven total... Asuna?" He looked to the rising star herself as she stood up straighter.
"W-well, of course," She agreed to.
"Twenty, we'd make up nearly a half of a raid party," Nagi stared back at the ace commander of KoB. "While I'll agree to whatever we decide, my party needs to be there regardless, this quest is our responsibility, it only changed the boss because of our influence, so as the leader of the party that triggered this event, let me be the one to see to our success on this floor. Please," That had Nagi bow properly, all to sway some of their minds to allowing even just their party to lead this time.
Nagi kept his eyes screwed shut, feeling very out of place when he does this around so many top players, he only got recognized because he had been present with others like Kirito, Asuna, Artorias, all of them were far stronger, so it felt like a massive ask to have them rely on him at all. "...well alright," Surprised, Nagi shot his head up to Heathcliff's small smile, although it faded into a frown soon after. "You're more than capable, that I have seen, we will leave this floor boss to you then, with Asuna's support,"
"Of course, sir!" But she smiled a little herself at Nagi's persuasion and Argo's suggestion.
"We'll provide extra men to cover for your five missing members," Lind supported, hand to his heart. "This isn't the first time you've come in to help us, and for no ulterior motive, you have my trust,"
"Same here, you know why too," Shivata nodded in respect.
"Nyehehe, good luck then, leadeR," Argo cooed, slapping Nagi's back which startled him a bit, the rest all lightening up at his yelp. "I'll see to arrangements and updatin' the guidebooK,"
"This is the layout so far for the labyrinth too," Heathcliff sent over the data to Nagi for him to open and check over. "It isn't entirely mapped, but we are close to the boss chamber so I trust with a full raid team the rest of mapping the location shouldn't take too long,"
"I... thank you, all of you," Nagi finally smiled too, fist to his chest. "I swear, we'll clear this floor without any casualties,"
"You can count of DKB to have your backs," Lind reassured.
Soon after, the meeting was adjourned.
|Floor 30, Castle Lumina, White Hourglass Inn|
|April. 27th, 17:55|
Nagi looked through all his equipment and items, by now, everyone should be in town to group up with DKB and move toward the Labyrinth, but still, he sat there, staring at his menus with an awful amount of tension on his face. From the side, he felt a warm body press to his, but it didn't help him relax. "Ya gonna go blind starin' at the screen all daY,"
"Heh, like you have any arguments there," Nagi remarked to his adorable girlfriend who snickered, nodding along.
"Got me there, nyahahA!" But her laughter faded quickly, leaning forward to peer up at Nagi's fixed expression. She waved her hand in front of his eyes. "Yo-hO~" No reaction. Sighing, she sat up and grabbed his cheeks, tearing his gaze to her soft but concerned orbs. "Talk alreadY,"
"...I've never had so many relying on me, Hosaka, never," Nagi admitted quietly, staring down at his hands. "A-Artorias, despite his narcissism, he's a great strategist, he can think ahead without issue. Daora, while reckless can hold his own to give others a chance to reposition themselves. All of them are..."
"StoP," She pressed her thumb to his lips, keeping both hands on his cheeks. "Listen, yer not a great leader, not A-Chan, not Ki-Bou, Arty, any of them, because no one iS. Yer job is to be a source of inspiration, courage, a beacon, then others will perform at their best, they cover for yer weaknesseS. That is a leader, a person who rallies others for the same cause, who can take 'em wherever they wanna gO," Argo smiled warmly, caressing his cheek. "Do what you've been doin', encourage them by being yoU,"
Argo saw through his problem, dug it out, and completely unsolved the questions piling up. It didn't resolve every issue Nagi had on the subject, but for this moment, it lessened that burden, just like she said, it was her strength and it helped him too. His face was a little red now, feeling like an idiot. "...I really don't deserve you... you're too good at this,"
"Hehe, well, you've got charm yerself," She teased, nuzzling his nose as she leaned closer. "It's why I'm alright doin' thiS..."
Leaning in, the pair shared a tender kiss again, Argo felt Nagi's cheeks grow hotter under her palms, and feeling his hands hold her waist to keep her nice and close. Nagi could feel the temperature of Argo's face burning against his lips while following her movements. Neither were perfect at this but it was still enough to excite a buzz of energy through their bodies to kindle a flame.
Releasing their lips, neither stopped as they went in for a second round, savouring the passionate moment a few seconds longer alone in their room. But they had a job to do, so they broke away with a hot gasp between them, faces red before Argo grinned and nuzzled her head under his chin, feeling his hands hold her tighter, Nagi was so protective that it was cute.
They'd be ready once their faces weren't burning up so Nagi rested his head on hers, staring out the window towards the sky.
|Floor 30, Labyrinth, Eighth Floor|
|April. 27th, 19:09|
Both large parties gathered and quickly departed for the teleport obelisk that warped them to the entrance of the labyrinth, from there, they marched on up to the furthest route KoB scouts had gotten. Now, the rest was on them to locate the boss chamber. With their numbers, detecting traps and checking dead-ends was far less time-consuming, but they had a lot of ground to cover.
The architecture of the dungeon was similar to that of the Black Spindle dungeon, the stone walls were dark grey, almost black, covered in the same, pungent fungus that actually helped them navigate the correct route, the more that accumulated on the walls, ceiling, and floor the better. However, this meant more skirmishes with the familiar enemies they've seen, a combination of Swamp Snappers, or Crocs, Stalking Serpents that hid in pools of water that filled up sections of the halls, and the three Drowned Enemy types.
"Lind, we found the stairwell!" One of DKB exclaimed, drawing the group around one more corner, just as Yuuki and one of Klein's guildmates slew the last of the Stalking Serpents.
"Yuuki, Issin, how's our flank!?" Nagi called back, ensuring everyone was following closely, less one gets pulled under by another serpent without warning.
"All clear~!" Yuuki waved, Issin raising a thumb with her.
"Move on up, we'll cover," Issin added.
Nagi smiled and nodded, moving up with Lind as they approached the final staircase. "So, your thoughts?" The blue-haired player asked while the marched up front, their scouts ensuring the way wasn't layered in traps with Mito's and Daora's help, the former covering herself with her cloak from a certain fencer.
"Danuja will start with close-ranged katana skills, similar to the 25th Floor Boss, then at some point, he'll incorporate dark ice into his blade, making it as long as a nodachi, inflicting Ice Blight which will eat your stamina and cause tick damage as I've said. Corruption will be inflicted when his weapon is coated in dark purple and black flames, let the gauge fill and you take massive damage. What happens after is up to us to figure out," It wasn't a lot, but Nagi had to try and piece every move as quickly as possible.
"Well, we're not going in blind like with the 4th Floor," Lind patted Nagi's shoulder roughly just as they made it to the top. "Trust in your comrades and myself, we can make it through this,"
"Got it, thanks," Nagi appreciated Lind's advice for leading a party this large, Kirito had done it before so getting one-on-one experience was good.
The large black iron doors were surrounded by more fungi and dark crystals, practically coating every surface as their footsteps made audible squelches. Many protested to the unpleasant sound and feeling but marched on until all gathered to replenish their HP for the final battle. Lind made a gesture for Nagi to make a statement this time. He obviously felt every eye on him, but saw the info broker smiling confidently from the crowd, a large sum of them people he knew very well.
"Uh... okay, a bit nervous but..." Clearing his throat, Nagi kept one hand on Nevermore while the other adjusted his decorative haori. "I said it to Heathcliff and Lind, this boss changed because we weren't aware of a quest drastically shifting the order of events, for that, I'm sorry. Which is why I promise to help clear this floor; no one is going to die for my mistake, so put your faith in the people you trust and I do, let's make it past this milestone here and now!"
His speech, while not glamorous or expressive, it was enough honesty to rouse a collection of war cries from the players, Shirayuki nodding in respect to him, Yuuki being the most expressive, waving her sword high with her guild and Ran. Turning, Nagi and Lind pressed one hand to either door, pushing together to release the bellowing groan of metal against the floor, revealing the darkened room beyond.
Everyone poured inside, quickly amassing into their squads in a wide, crescent formation, Nagi and Shirayuki took to the vanguard to confront the silhouette in the middle. When they stepped closer, the doors grinded shut behind them, and a ring of fire burned at the edge of the circular arena. Dozens of obelisks floated above the flames, all resonating with oranges, reds, and purples. The walls were muted purple too, the ceiling funnelled like a cone into a literal hurricane, lightning crackling among the maelstrom.
Danuja, still wearing little armour, bearing all his scars and frostbite, slow stood up from a great purple bonfire, the embers snuffed out into cinders. "Fitting you both would come to face me once more," Whether he referred to Nagi and Shirayuki, or the former and Argo remained unclear. Standing up straight, he grabbed the blade of ninjato, grinding his frozen palm to encase it in black ice to its enlarged form. "Look upon me, former shinobi of the Sunsingers... guardian of House Dusk... I... have had enough lies, deceit and betrayal... I. Am. Danuja!" He took his stance, now glaring back at Nagi. "Let the Last Rite, begin."
/-\Danuja, Chosen of the Abyss - Lv. 62/-\
Four health bars appeared, and in an instant he thrust his blade into the earth, causing a ring of dark ice to form around him, twisting and slashing his blade high, four lines of jagged rime shooting in the cardinal directions. Nagi and Shirayuki raised their guards in time to block his rushing slash, using the ice to move faster than before, his nodachi felt colder than a tundra and held the force of a storm behind it, throwing them backward.
"Starting off strong, asshole!" Artorias hollered, creating a barrier with the other tanks, forming a split crescent to the left and right as Danuja struck Artorias' line, aggroing the shinobi.
From behind, Yuuki and Ran moved between the rows of ice, casting Horizontal and Vertical Square, but on their third strikes, Danuja Hate shifted entirely to pivot and swat the pair with a powered up version of Iai, slashing past them, leaving a gash across their hips when they tried to fend off the blow, now inflicted with Frost Blight as their bodies became covered by a translucent white sheen.
"The sun cannot save you this time!" Danuja was surrounded for a time but slammed the ground again, the ice ring inflicting more Blight, forcing everyone to rotate to evade the four lines of rime to follow. Danuja slid down the east line, again, creating four more rows before Klein's guild intercepted. He led the charge with Scarlet Fang, nicking the shinobi past his defences, breaking his posture with the thrust for Dynamm to redirect a Ripple Thrust from Danuja, followed by Shield Bash to stun the boss as it recoiled.
"Switch!" He called in for Dale, the large man chopping across Danuja's side with his own skill, throwing him into the range of Harry One's Sonic Charge, and straight back into Dale's second overhead swing, completing Cross Arc. Issin and Kunimittz closed in only for their skills to be parried, Danuja spinning around for another deadly Iai slash that frozen them all before he charged and slammed into Klein, tossing him away from his guild.
"You again, red samurai," Danuja murmured, rotating his blade slowly in the air, frost expelling from the nodachi to counter Klein's burning orange blade. "I will claim both arms this time,"
"Hah, fat chance, I got this gear kitted just to resist slashing!" Klein boasted, using Scarlet Fang again, Klein came to blows with Danuja's darker variation of Dance of the Water Dragon, his arms buckling with every rotating slash. Klein's skill ended one short but he managed to evade under the horizontal in time, just as the tanks used another Threatening Roar to draw in Danuja's gaze, himself shifting on ice to blast them away with another ring around his form.
Cutting off Danuja's assault against Lind and DKB, a flash of red and violet pushed him back. Asuna and Yuuki whipped their weapons to their sides, the vice-commander seeing that all of the Sleeping Knights slowly encroached on the boss. "Ready, Asuna!?" Yuuki grinned daringly.
"Yes!" She affirmed, charging back her skill while the others attacked.
Danuja slammed his nodachi down the length of Tecchi's tower shield, the blonde managing to stand firm. Jun dove up and over said shield, swinging his radiant greatsword cascading Avalanche down on the nodachi, the sheer force creating a blast of cold wind at the shinobi's feet. Throwing the young boy overhead, Danuja grunted just as Nori thrust her hammer into his gut with Tremor, straight into Siune's short-ranged but painful Oblique but she yelped when he pivoted his waist, slashing down her chest with Serpent Slash. He went for a thrusting scoop but Ran's edge caught his, diverting it away from Siune in time to drag her weapon in two Vertical arcs.
To her shocked expression, his fist dug into her stomach, lifting the raven-brunette off her feet, leaving her reeling on the ground. With effortlessly precision, the shinobi spun his nodachi wide, parrying both Talken's and Nori's follow-up strikes, blasting the Sleeping Knights with a ring of ice, four rows cutting through them, practically cutting their HP in half. However, his wall of dark rime shattered, several thrusts from Asuna's rapier breeching his guard, leaving him exposed to Yuuki's own sudden gut punch, but he saw it, her sword hand was empty.
Using Asuna's back, Yuuki leapt high, catching her sword. That's when Artorias smirked in nervous surprise. "N-no freakin' way..."
"Meteor Fall!" Yuuki cried out, and a collision of purple arcs whipped high into the air, followed by a loud bang as many shielded their eyes from the blinding skill.
When the dust settled, most of the Sleeping Knights were pulled back to heal, but their hearts stopped when Danuja's first HP bar emptied, but Yuuki's steadily declined. "You are strong... but arrogant," Danuja sneered, and from his left palm extended a halberd made of black ice, it crumbled, leaving Yuuki to collapse to the floor, Ice Blight leaving her slowed while her HP dropped by 60% from the piercing damage alone.
"Yuuki!" Nagi, including several others, screamed for her as she pulled herself to her knees in time to block a downward slam, the boss repeating this over and over to chip away at her health bar now dipping into the dark orange, her vermillion eyes struggling against the strain.
Several flashes burst across the arena, the first, leaving six long crescents of amber through Danuja's back, Argo appeared from thin air, eyes burning with as much anger as the rest, she then plunged her claws deep into his back and out his chest, completing Skewer. Kicking backward to evade his counter skill that swung in two rising slants, he left himself open to the downward cleave from an obsidian scythe, Mito frowning deeply, shoving the top of her scythe into his gut to ward him off while Yuuki healed up.
"Ah, thanks you guys, that was really close," Yuuki sighed but was otherwise okay. "Sorry, I'll switch out!"
"Guys, move in!" Nagi rallied, keeping on track and keeping his emotions in check. "Argo, keep looking for openings!" She didn't respond to maintain her stealth but he knew she heard him.
"I... will not... be denied this!" Swinging his nodachi high in a slow circle, Danuja leapt above them all, a stray bolt of lightning striking his blade, channelling its raw energy into the edge of his blade.
"EVADE!" Lind and Nagi yelled, all watching in horror when the boss struck the ground, unleashing a massive, crackling wave of lightning through the air, narrowly missing Nagi and Daora as it travelled until it struck the nearest wall in its path, followed by an expanding wave of plasma too, one many managed to jump over but some of the tanks were paralyzed for failing the dodge.
"Solar Brilliance!" Nagi charged straight ahead.
"Abyssal Brilliance!" The twisted title from Danuja made Nagi's eyes widen before narrowing, deflecting the flurry of thrusts, both stepped back, rotating to collide in the middle, rime and water crashing around them. None could approach, watching the two katana users match the other in a series of deadly, precise slashes and thrusts, gliding past the other in a seamless back and forth.
Danuja slammed his blade down, Nagi returning with two Serpent Slash, shifting left, evading a thrust while sweeping Nevermore over Danuja's head, the two turning to trade blows, sliding across a trail of ice, flying off their feet in their momentum. "Nagi!" Extending his hand, Mito caught his wrist, pulling him away from Danuja's wrath before a halo of rime formed, she swung Nagi wide, throwing him over the ice, using Uchikesu to drive the nodachi down, shifting forward for Kick-Step, leading into raising his right heel, water expunged from the heel.
"Luna Arc!" He struck the man's risen sword, but the water only seemed to pool around his whole leg. "Renewal!" That brought his heel straight through the nodachi shattering it into fragments, carving a blunt mark through his chest, his heel striking the ground, blasting apart the lingering ice.
"Whirlwind!" Daora slammed the gale into Danuja's back, straight into Nagi's follow-up Water Moon to the ribs. Using his ninjato, the dark shinobi slowed his tumble, catching Shirayuki's wrist before she could strike, shoving her back so the two powerful swordsmen could clash viciously.
"Darkness Haze!" Another corrupted hidden skill tore into Shirayuki's waist, but through the frosty mist, his purple eyes widened, seeing the snow-white haze flourish over her sword, having actively jumped through his attack to gain the advantage.
"Rising Sun!" She countered, sawing over his head, tearing out a large chunk of particles from his right shoulder, forcing him to kneel from the critical blow. "Do not taint their legacy with your tongue!"
"Why not? Ours is too," Danuja rasped but his breath hitched, seeing the silvery ax of Daora's swing in three rapid turns, followed by Mito's rising slant that threw him to his feet, seeing the edge of Moonslice twirl over her head for a following slant from Karma Demon's purple glint.
Attempting to recover, Danuja was preyed upon by the Rising Tide from Klein's sheath combined with Jun's own Eruption, the slant met with another curved slash, tossing the shinobi skyward where he saw Argo falling from above, claws brandished , stripping his already thin armour with Cutter's chops. Below, waiting with his blade drawn over his shoulder, Artorias held his composure, then swung forward with Sonic Leap, the vibrating blade widening every wound further, the force propelling the monster across to the far end of the arena.
"Hah... hah..." His ninjato cast another omnidirectional wall of ice, himself leaping high toward the hurricane to catch another stray bolt, carving a single, deadly line straight toward Lind and Asuna, as well as roughly fifteen other players.
*Tiiing-Bttz!*
Nagi took the blow on himself, channelling the massive amount of energy through Nevermore, the bolts arching over his whole arm in a constant net of light; he spun around only once to redirect the electrical slant straight back at Danuja, striking him in the air with a roar of thunder to follow, his body convulsing in agony, plummeting to the floor, smoking. Now, only one and a half HP remained, everyone steadying themselves to finish him off.
Drinking a health pot after that stunt from the fallout, Nagi kept his guard up while lingering sparks bounced off his haori. He watched the fires around the arena flicker a dim, as though the light was drained away momentarily toward Danuja's form as it started to kindle. This scene was all too familiar to Nagi and Argo, both staring with widening eyes as the boss' blade suddenly ignited, bolts of lightning struck the earth around him, and his eyes took on a sinister purple glow.
Rising to his feet, the a remnant of Danuja, the Tero Senshi awoke within the Floor Boss. Then, he erupted with a massive delayed blast of bright magenta. His sword once more enlarged to a nodachi, bathing in a constant stream of bright cursed flames. The edges of the now smaller chamber had their bottomless voids glowing purple, an everlasting flame roaring within as all watched with genuine terror at the approaching boss.
"...Tanks, keep their guards up, provide cover for everyone on the frontline, give it everything you got!" Nagi managed to say, the bloodlust in his nose burning before he rolled under Danuja's sweeping Rushing Water Undulation, several blazing scars at Nagi's back while he pivoted on a heel to block the thrust of Striking Wave at the last second, the vertical scorching him with Corruption, Burn, and Ice Blight. He recoiled, trying to evade, thankfully, Artorias rammed his shield into Danuja to thwart his advance.
The boss simply leapt atop Artorias' buckler, diving over them to capture another lightning bolt, summoning the gigantic crescent that scarred the chamber, himself cleaving through the frontlines, parrying and slashing anyone in his path, some landed a blow or two but that didn't seem to cause the shinobi to flinch, he was in a constant enraged state. Artorias fed Nagi an antidote, the pair sprinting for Danuja.
Klein and Daora tried to draw his Hate, but instead, a halberd of ice was flung their way, digging into the ground between them, from the sky, Danuja slammed between them, spreading a dark halo of ice. Klein couldn't evade in time, forced to take a Whirlwind Slash to the chest, throwing him aside, stripping nearly 20% of his HP. Daora stood his ground, catching Danuja's sword in both hands, using his set bonus to pull and throw the man high.
Quickly clasping Skullshatter, "Crushing Wave!" Daora slammed his ax overhead, catching and burying Danuja in the ground where he dove forward, tearing his ax free to smash near the shinobi, the force of his skill throwing Danuja backward into his crumbling ice wall. Pulling back to his feet, Danuja evaded Daora's wide sweeps with Skullshatter, catching each lumbering swing with the side of his nodachi, then, his flames burst from his blade as he performed a back-step rising slash, the flames blowing up in Daora's face, burning him before two more etched across his chest, causing him to gag when another explosion tore into him, leaving him on his knees. "How much more ya got!?"
To answer, Danuja turned, ignoring the swords, axes, and spears poking his sides to grab Daora's head, then throwing him wide, slamming his body into three other players. Spearing the earth, his sword expelled four more rows of ice, his mere movement destroying one line to traverse, sweeping his nodachi in a zig-zag pattern, inflicting any caught by its unstable elements with one of three afflictions. Stopping, he jumped, catching another lightning strike to summon a devastating wave.
In that instance, Ran used Tecchi's shield to vault over the players preparing to jump the wave, copying Nagi, she took the recoil but used her longsword as a conductor, banishing the element straight back at Danuja, he was struck but the damage wasn't nearly as much, but it did paralyze him momentarily. "He's wide open!" She called out.
"Move in, those injured back away!" Lind swung his arm while digging his sword down with Slant.
Across two sides of the arena, pink and violet left a trail in the air, intersecting across Danuja with a twin Vorpal Strike, Artorias and Yuuki frozen for a moment but landing two firm blows. Yet, they couldn't smirk, seeing him stand tall and construct another barrier of rime, four more rows summoned to divide the arena. Danuja entered a familiar stance, forcing the players to retreat to the tanks, but many wore too heavy armour or were slowed by the ice, and as such, were caught in the four constant rotations of hellfire, burning and corrupting them as many screamed in fear, thrown near the flaming edges, HP dropping low.
Argo tried to lunge in from behind but yelped, feeling a few strands of hair being sliced by another materialized halberd, carving a gash over her cheeks. She missed with her skill and quickly rolled and dove away, the flames making it harder for her stealth to work effectively, not to mention her health falling lower than the others, her Detection blaring in her mind to move fast with Danuja in hot pursuit.
"No you don't!" The flash of red from a high and low thrust stopped Danuja who came to face Asuna, evading her sharp thrusts, dragging his nodachi through the ground, sweeping in a rising arc that slammed against her rapier, forcing her feet back a few inches while the tanks repositioned.
He struck again and again, slashing at any opening he could find, but Asuna reacted in kind and blocked with her blade even as the force threw her closer to the flaming pit, her feet tumbling out from under her after three sharp slashes in succession, followed by a kick to the gut. Another powerful horizontal strike threw Asuna mere inches from that edge but she dug her heels in, red light from her rapier refracting off her eyes.
Danuja lunged forward, slashing down with Ichimonji, diverting the first thrust of Triangular, then he twisting his arms in an uncomfortable angle and sliced across the left, again, deflecting her blow. Asuna landed the last high thrust but his sword plunged forward with Ripple Thrust, tearing a good 15% out of her amber health bar, inflicting all three status effects. Danuja doubled back with a spin, holding his sword in both hands for another thrust, one that would send her over the edge but she was too slow to evade!
She couldn't even formulate a single thought, only stare up at the nightmare that was closing in for the kill. She had nothing left to use in that nanosecond-
*Ting-Bam!*
From the side, an obsidian scythe cleaved the air between Asuna and the boss, Mito grinding her feet to a halt, twirling her weapon around to constantly collide with the cursed nodachi, fending him off as a halo of deep purple began to form mid-twirl. Her face remained hidden by her hood but Asuna felt her heart clench, there was only one scythe user she knew that was as skilled as this. Before she could say a word, Mito charged forward with a horizontal swing, Danuja leaping over it to bring his blade down with both hands; Mito pivoted right to avoid it, yanking Moonslice back to slit his waist.
"So, you have come to face me again, tell me, can you confront your fears so openly?" Danuja asked, weaving side to side, avoiding her parallel verticals, followed closely by two horizontal spirals of Harvest, locking his blade against the crook of her scythe to see her warped expression of anger.
"...It not the case if I can or can't!" Mito yelled, her crimson eyes burning amethyst with the resonance of Moonslice, feeling the heat and deathly cold of his nodachi beginning to rise and fall simultaneously. She had to protect Asuna this time, she had to make things right with her! Nagi, Daora, Artorias, Shirayuki, they gave her this chance to make it right! "I will protect everything precious to me; even if I'm scorned for what I've done!"
His eyes leered, her movements were different than before. He pulled back, readying his own skill. This skill of Mito's was the longest one she had unlocked, "If speed's his best attribute, then I have to react faster! Eight-Hits... Guillotine!" Twirling her scythe to her right, Mito struck down like a purple sawblade, striking in rapid succession that her polearm was a blur, leaving a single, deadly halo of light by her side.
Danuja swung his nodachi in a wide upward slant that flowed seamlessly into a horizontal that struck the halo's edge, straight into a spin slash and an uppercut, ending with a final cut from right to bottom left, the impact rang out, both their skills cancelling the other out, but Mito held her ground only to stumble back a little, gasping in agony when several invisible lacerations exploded from her body, dropping her health dramatically until it was in the red, much to her horror. A single word appeared in red with a skull icon; Corruption.
"You remained in close contact with my weapon, that was your mistake," Danuja rasped, three deep slashes through his arm. "But your attacks were heavy, that I will give you,"
Mito stumbled and fell onto her backside before Asuna, the girl finally gasping as she shuffled closer to the purplette. "M-Mito!" Hearing her name being cried out, she looked down as to avoid seeing Asuna's face, but that didn't matter, the air grew colder, Danuja summoning a halberd, the tip burning bright magenta, he was about to strike them both. "Come on, we need to evade!"
"I... can't," Mito struggled to lift her scythe, her fingers wouldn't clench, she was terrified but the Ice Blight and recoil from Corruption were taking their toll. Asuna wrapped one arm under Mito's, helping her stand but Danuja was fast faster with sword skills, closing in with the worst of the Spear skills. Fatal Thrust. "Asuna!" Shoving the brunette aside, Mito held her arms up to shield herself, unable to move in time-
*Shiiing!*
Red shards struck Mito's and Asuna's faces, their eyes wide, bleeding with pain. Others all froze in place, none more than Nagi and Artorias, neither finding the ability to breathe. "T-tch... grr... id...iot," Daora reached his hands forward to grasp the shaft of the spear, squeezing it tightly as his health slowly fell. "...you sh-ould... kept yo-ur... eyes on... m-me!" He forced out.
"Hm," Danuja twisted the polearm, then threw Daora across the arena as his body tumbled. The mask Daora never removed, the item that had been with him since the day he claimed it, shattering from the impact just as his body fell over into the fiery abyss below.
"...daora...?" Mito lost all feeling in her hands, unable to make a fist around her scythe. It was happening all over again, she couldn't save someone else she cared for, she make all that talk and it was for nothing. She failed him too...
The sight of Daora falling set a fire under every player, now yelling in anguish and rage, many regained their footing and ran to surround Danuja. His deadly, wide-ranged attacks forcing many behind shields or to evade, but their collective anger only sought to fuel their focus, predicting his move set to attack only when an opening was presented, everyone trying with all their might to bring the boss down, battling every ice and fire blast, keeping him grounded to avoid another lightning slash.
"Switch!" Two called out, and the tanks split in time to evade the twin sweep of halberd and nodachi. Two shattering flashes of pink and orange struck Danuja's arms, Klein and Artorias encroaching with malice behind their gazes. "Dragon's Breath/Vorpal Strike!" The invisible slashes of the first skill and massive impact of the second skill broke the third health bar, now kiting the boss away from those needing to heal fast.
A halo of rime formed, nearly freezing them behind Artorias' buckler, followed by a Twin Thrust that pushed the brunette backward, Klein attempting to arc Sol Moeta with Ripple Thrust only for it to bounce off one of the trails of ice, leaving them on the receiving end of a scorching blast from the cursed flames, inflicting Burn again. Danuja turned to his right, seeing Mito stand with her scythe by force, her hood falling down to unveil the hatred in her misty eyes, her sword skill erupting like a volatile bonfire, grinding her teeth down.
"Shit!" Artorias attempted to intervene alongside Ran and Lind but the latter pair were forced to defend from a sweeping halberd, the trail of ice allowing the shinobi to cross the arena faster. "Asuna, get her out of there now!" Artorias warned loudly, the Lightning Flash sprinting to reach Mito in time as the girl spun her scythe over her right shoulder, gripping it so tight her knuckles turned white.
"...Sever!" She screamed, shifting one foot forward with a murderous cry.
"Rrrraaaaaaah!" From seemingly nowhere, a golden knuckle collided with Danuja's cheek at the last possible second, throwing him off his frost path with lingering silver sparks on his face.
Mito's skill faded, staring in disbelief when Daora stomped down before her, his health rising back into the green, but he was completely different. His forearms were marred by silvery-red flames, and more dramatically, his face was in view for the whole raid to see, including Danuja who slowly circled back, eyeing up his attacker like a predator.
"Seriously!? That's what you look like!?" Artorias shrieked among all of them, utterly bewildered himself.
"Huh... you got a problem with my face or something!?" Daora grinned devilishly.
His face was... handsome, not 'drop-dead-gorgeous' but beautiful for someone so volatile. Black, shoulder-length hair with patches of white from clear pigment loss flowed in the hot air, and his eyes a pale green, however, his right eye had heavy scarring around the eyelid, like several shards of glass had torn across his skin, narrowly missing his eye.
"It's you..." Mito muttered to herself. She remember that face, it seemed impossible, but... she had seen his face before.
Long before the Death Game. Mito had only one friend, a top-scoring girl in her class, both aimed for perfection, the other, her friend, was far more worried about her grades that she never truly took the time to be at ease. Something Mito was happy to show her, to expose her too, it was awkward their first real meeting, but she was happy to get a smile from a girl who seemed far too concerned about school-life to want to waste free time on video games.
Down at the arcade she'd call her 'home away from home', Mito was browsing what to play. Be it your classic arcade machines for tickets, some simple VR games, or even consoles plugged in for all to sit down and enjoy. In passing that last lounge area tucked in the back of the building, she heard the disgruntled sound of a player close to losing their shit. A common trope she herself fell victim too many times.
Peeking in to a sofa, she watched a young teen, probably her age, muttering his frustrations at a Nintendo game in his hands, mashing buttons relentlessly in an attempt to win. Upon closer inspection over his head, she saw him being clobbered by what appeared to be one of those large dragons from a Monster Hunter game. It had silvery-grey scales, stood proud surrounded by small twisters as it roared, charging down the player as he 'fainted', down to one last chance to beat it.
"Grah, come on, I almost had it!" He groaned, throwing his head back to eye Mito staring down at him. "Huh? What do you want?"
He had shoulder-length black hair, pale green eyes, and in her humble opinion, a charming face for someone so vocal and brash. But she noted the scarring around his right eye but focused back on his question. "You. You're getting you butt handed to you,"
"Am not!" He protested, throwing his head back to bitterly resupply at the camp. "These controls are weird, and that dragon's so fast and powerful, and it looked so freakin' cool!" Now he was huffing, stomping his foot. "And for some reason, that pisses me off!"
Listening to him rant was honestly funny to her. 'Why not?' she thought, hopping over the sofa to sit next to him before taking the device from him, ignoring his 'hey' of complaint as he tried to snatch it back so she kept it out of reach. "Here, lemme show you, if I fail, you can go on a rant about how much better you are, but if I win, you'll let me help, sound fun to you?"
He crossed his arms tightly, frown just as deep. "Hm... hrm... Fine, it's a deal!" He jabbed his finger at her nose. "But such a mighty creature won't fall so easily, you know, I've tried!"
"So I've seen," Adjusting the cap on her head, she knuckled down and worked with his awful loadout, adjusting it before returning to battle.
It was a close battle, but she won in the end, the boy demanding she tell him how to beat the dragon. Mito complied, and true to their agreement, he sat patiently and listened, following her advice until he got confused in places. She sat there with him for the whole afternoon as people came and went until he could successfully beat the powerful dragon of the wind.
Since then, she never got the boy's name, but his face and his antics stuck to her mind like glue, even far into SAO, she couldn't forget his face when he defeated that dragon, how elated he was. And now... that same stupid grin was standing before her now, the boy she never knew the name of.
Punching his fists together, Daora let out a deep yell that was more fitting for a beast, and his feet leapt to bridge the gap between him and Danuja. Expecting a sword skill, Danuja's frozen blade buckled when it was struck by a solid left hook, followed in quick succession but several fists, a right uppercut tearing through his defence to jab his chest, leaving him open to a roundhouse kick that burned across his fiery aura. "My name is Kushla Daora! The strongest player there is!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, his arms burning hotter. "I'm gonna tear your face off, Danujaaaa!"
The first name he ever got right, and it was met with another flurry of fists that kept stun-locking the boss. Danuja blasted the arena with a ring and four rows of rime once more but the rageful Daora tore through it all, none of the debuffs triggering as he grabbed the shinobi by the shoulder, jumping to spike the boss three times atop the head, each forceful impact splitting the earth and shattering the dark ice crystals around them. "Hyrah! Hyrah! Hyraaaah!"
From below, Daora was impaled and held high in the air by a spear of ice but his fists easily shattered it, clasping both hands above his head before smashing Danuja's risen nodachi, the sheer kinetic energy throwing the boss backward with a grunt. However, Daora's health was critically low until Artorias struck him with a potion, healing him, moving from a distance to continuously heal the bruiser now on a warpath, leaping to slam the ground with his fists, the shockwaves interrupting Danuja's skills, leaving him unable to deal serious damage, tanking more bone-breaking haymakers to his body.
"I've never seen a skill like that..." Ran gawked a bit in morbid curiosity.
"He's gone mad..." Lind grimaced.
"And more stupid!" Artorias huffed, throwing another vial to heal him. "It's like his defence is halfed; I got about a minute's worth of Pots but after that, he's on his own, but whatever this skill is, it's healing him too for every hit he makes, but even so, when we get the chance, we all need to plant as much damage as possible!"
"He's right, everyone get ready; Daora!" Nagi called out, relief and worry wracking around in his mind when Daora huffed heavily, flexing his fingers before he balled them up. "Tear him apart!"
"Ahahahaha! I was already doing that!" He swung again, the nodachi catching his fist, leaving him open for Danuja to swing forward with Serpent Slash, the two strokes blasted Daora, his health dropping fast only to recover as quickly due to Artorias. "With this auto-healing plus healing after every hit, not to mention Arravos healing me too, this'll be a cake-walk!" He then dove low under two horizontal slashes, tackling Danuja to the ground. "I'll beat you so bad they'll have to stop the fight!"
Daora sank blow after blow into Danuja's chest, striking between his ribs to his face, pummelling the great shinobi of House Darkness into his own ritual site. With both fists, he struck down hard but felt a cold hand press to his face, suddenly engulfing his head in ice and flame. Daora stumbled back, shaking his head only to stomp the ground and grasp the blade poised for his abdomen, twisting and snapping the dark rime in two pieces. "Rrah!"
Twirling the shards, he sunk both deep into Danuja's own shoulders, using them like grips to pull the thrashed shinobi forward to headbutt repeatedly, each hit reverberating in the air. Standing firm, he pulled Danuja forward and struck him with a painful right hook to the stomach just as his ninjato erupted with cursed flames, blasting him also to the opposite end of the arena, colliding with Tecchi's tower shield that caught him.
"Do it now!" Lind and Nagi relayed loudly, this was it, their final opening!
Jun swung first, cracking Danuja across his side with Blast launching him back a few inches straight into Nori's and Talken's hammer and spear, Shift and Fatal Thrust tearing out the next 5% alone. From his blind spots, Ran timed her Vorpal Strike with Siune's Flashing Penetrator, the high-speed skills catching Danuja off guard, stripping another 5%. At his front, his ninjato attempted to block the simultaneous flurry of slashes from Yuuki and Artorias, the pair moving in tune with the other, bringing their blades down from above with a cascade of energy that scarred his whole front with slashes, two Phantom Raves stealing 11%.
"Switch!" The pair rolled back from an icy wave, Klein dividing the wall with Solstice Haze, carving into Danuja, followed by Asuna's Quadruple Pain, four rapid hits immobilizing the shinobi for Lind's own Snake Bite and Argo's 6-hit skill Frenzy, three rotating slashes with her claws, the combined total of 9% dropping the boss past the halfway chokepoint.
"More... I need... more!" Danuja snarled, vaulting off a nearby player toward the heart of the storm, channelling a greater amount of lightning than before, the stray bolts now crackling purple and blue, so much so it did damage to his own form. Inverting his sword, he propelled himself at the ground, dealing a massive AOE to the whole chamber, the tanks absorbing the blow for the others who couldn't jump in time, the fizzle and crackling roar of raw power still channelling into his ninjato, going for a running slash straight.
He aimed to slew all that were in his sights, swinging without any thought toward his surroundings as a great blast shook the whole boss room, enough to make the players wobble to stand straight. The electrical buzz in the air and sparks within the dust were easily dispelled when Danuja stared down in genuine speechlessness. Mito's health was only a few pixels left in her gauge, her hazy eyes remaining focused, having used her own scythe like a lightning rod, completely nullifying the fatal blow for over a dozen players.
"Gotcha," She snorted, blowing her bangs from her eyes, and from under her arm, Daora's left fist burned brighter, the last of his skill put into this single blow.
"Hyrrraaah!" Daora wrenched the sword down, pulling Danuja straight into his devastating left haymaker to the chest. The sheer force flung the shinobi off his feet, losing his sword in the process as his health crept closer to the edge.
From behind, Shirayuki and Nagi stepped forward, "This ends now, Danuja," Shirayuki whispered, and the two were pulled forward by their unified Iai slashes, dragging their katanas through his waist and out his stomach in a single, fatal blow, the particles whipped into the air between them. "Rest in peace, my friend."
He tumbled a little, nearly falling off the edge of the arena himself. He sat on his knees, his body beginning to turn blue and white, his last words haunting Nagi and his party. "...my house... I am... reborn..." None could react in time, watching him burst into thousands of pieces, the Floor Boss was defeated.
"Danuja is gone..." Shirayuki heard it loud and clear, raising her head with her knuckle tight. "...the Abyss has claimed his spirit now,"
/-\CONGRADULATIONS!/-\
Despite that bittersweet victory, all of them still found themselves smiling and cheering, clearing yet another ten floor, a ruthless and hard battle but without any casualties. Daora coughed a bit, shaking off the remnants of his skill, patting his trousers with them. While everyone, himself included, levelled up, he went into his menu, and in seconds, he materialized the exact same make of helmet as before, slotting the wolf head onto his own to hide his face, feeling far more relaxed again.
"You really need a new armor set, Numbnuts," Artorias sighed, hands to his hips. "Also, not at all envious, just wondering how someone so stupid can be so good looking?"
"Yeah, you look super cool!" Yuuki agreed, pulling at Daora's mask. "Come on, let's see it again!"
"Grah, get off of me, spider-monkey!" He protested, trying to wrestle the little swordswoman off his head as she tugged on his helmet.
"We already saw your face, don't be shy!" She was relentless while her guild cheered her on, Siune giggling behind her hand while Ran face palmed.
"Yuuki..." Ran had no control over her whatsoever.
"How's this guy get all the girls' attention, so unfair..." Klein slumped in defeat, Nagi and Lind looking at him for a second, Lind just shook his head with a heavy exhale, Nagi smiled and patted his back.
Argo then appeared behind Daora, grinning with that glint in her eyes. "Now this'll be a big hit to sell, the unmaskin' of the notorious Frontrunner DaorA," Argo snickered to herself, frightening Daora and Yuuki at her sudden presence. "Man, wait 'till Ki-bou here's this one, nyahahA!"
"You are as ruthless as ever, Ms Informant," Shirayuki chuckled to herself, already pulling out a Sake bottle. "Come, while this victory is not as we had entirely hoped, it is a a glorious achievement nonetheless, let us celebrate!" Many quickly found themselves yelling praises at this, coming over to share a toast as the tension of battle left their minds and bodies.
Away from the others, Mito... stood only a few feet from her former best friend, Asuna. The two stared at each other, the purplette couldn't find the strength to smile with the others, she... felt so alone again, facing her biggest mistake. "Asuna... I..." Her voice broke a little, squeezing Moonslice tighter, the horrible images of her leaving Asuna behind, believing she had died only to see her accel without her, over and over from a distance. It was so many terrible and hopeful feelings accumulating that she couldn't move. "T-that day I... I..." A few tears broke free, now unable to look her in the eye.
Asuna's expression had been neutral this whole time, she moved up to Mito as fast as the boss had, and she stopped to bring her hand against Mito's bicep, forcing the girl to look up and see her gentle, worried, and relieved smile all at once. So much wasn't said before, Asuna had so many opportunities but never could find the right time nor words before Mito would vanish from the frontlines again and again. "We still have a game to clear, don't we?"
"Ah..." Mito struggled to say anything.
"We've both survived this long, so let's keep going, together," Asuna spoke clearly, seeing Mito's eyes widen, then rest gently as she trembled.
"That day I-" Asuna squeezed her arm a little, shaking her head. That was in the past, it didn't matter anymore to her, that wasn't the Mito she knew, and that certainly isn't her now.
"Let's talk when we have the chance, after we're done here, I want to hear all the adventures you've had so far, and I even have a bunch I want to tell you about," Her eyes fell to Nagi and his party, seeing them banter about Daora and his face and new skill no one had ever seen before as he flexed one arm. "I'm glad you aren't doing this alone anymore,"
Mito tried to say something close to an apology, but she found her mind coming up blank. Instead, she smiled, her first genuine smile in a long time. "Yeah... they're pretty crazy to be around," She wiped her tears dry, meeting Asuna's gaze. "I think... I'll stay with them this time, b-but I want to talk with you too, a-any time you want!"
Asuna giggled, making Mito become flustered at her loss of composure. "Now who's the one acting all bashful?"
"S-shut up..." Mito looked away, rubbing her arm a bit but couldn't drop her smirk to Asuna. "So... 'Lightning Flash'?"
"Ugh, please no... 'Princess' was bad enough..." Asuna was now on the receiving end, whining in dismay for Mito to giggle about.
Nagi glanced over to see the two girls joking around, slowly growing comfortable to each other again. It was worth every minute to see them like this, two people who couldn't have been further apart now reconciling after so long. "You did really well, Daora," Nagi said out of the blue, the wolfman looking to his friend's honest smile, following his eyes to Mito and Asuna, the girls smiling brightly again with each other. "Mito took your words to heart, you brought them back to how they were before, or a start that is,"
Daora stared at the reaper, in truth, he recognized that hair anywhere, minus the eyes, the way she spoke and acted on Floor One, that was her, the annoyingly talented player from the arcade. She helped him beat the dragon that was now his moniker. Hidden by his mask, he smiled slightly, then raised his choko filled with Sake high with everyone else.
Danuja and the Path of Divine Sakura were still out there, awaiting to be resolved. But today, the reuniting of two friends, a lone Reaper and a Fencer was made possible by the wolf that would become a dragon.
To Be Continued...
Next Arc - Misfits
Nagi's team is left with an ultimatum, form a guild with players or be forced to join a guild to cut down on the smaller non-guild parties for raids. At the same time, Kirito comes to them with a request...
Man oh man do I hate writing dozens of characters for a fight, I really tried giving everyone a piece of the action, drives me mad but I shot myself when I decided to write Misfits so I'm sticking with it. Tons to unwrap here, Mito and Asuna reuniting, Daora's connection to Mito before SAO/origin of his username. A new skill of Daora's that I'll get to, and probably be hounded for, in a moment. This was a big arc for characters and the story as a whole, I did my absolute best to juggle it all right, hence why both this and last chapter are so big!
This next arc is also where I'll be juggling with the timeline based on my perspective of how the frontlines progress.
Now then, Daora's skill is the appearance of a few Extra/Unique Skills I've constructed, and I'll be handling them differently from SAO. So, this is called Barbarous, awarded to a player with a Strength stat 500 or higher, Battle Healing of 250 mastery or higher, and the Armor Pierce skill. These prefixes combined grant this skill.
The skill will force the player to fight bare-handed for 1 Minute, in that time, their strength is doubled and every hit heals them based on how much damage they inflict, however, their defence is split in half, making them a glass canon, so having someone constantly heal them like with Daora here is paramount. Skill can't be used in succession either, and has a 30 Minute cooldown, passive skills or abilities like Renewal cannot affect this, and there are no Mods for Barbarous that can reduce the cooldown but offer extra moves the player can perform instead.
Okay, that was long; any who, I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support; seeya in the next arc, Players!
052 - All Is Lost
An important message is given to Nagi about the current state of his party. At the same time, he is given a just as important request...