Chapter 119: The Tragic Boss

"Let the trial begin!" Donning the cloak he had not worn for a long time, Lancer stood at the very front of the formation and raised his scythe high.

"Roar!" The members of the FFF Brigade also hoisted their respective weapons.

"Listen well, fellow members!" Lancer began his pre-battle pep talk. This segment had not been planned, but because of his remarks during the previous meeting, he felt compelled to lead by example. "We are about to step into the Boss's chamber. Anything could happen once we enter, but I need each and every one of you to promise me you will walk out alive. The torches of our FFF Brigade must be held high by your hands; we cannot afford to fall here!"

"Understood!" The FFF Brigade’s impassioned declaration sent a cold shiver down the spines of the nearby Assault Team members who had families. After exchanging a few meaningful glances, they instantly decided to make themselves scarce whenever they saw the FFF Brigade gathering in the future.

Kayaba Akihiko stood at the vanguard of the Knights of the Blood, his head bowed so that those around him could not see his expression. Perhaps aside from Asuna and Silica, he was the person who knew Lancer’s true identity better than anyone; he had watched the beginning and the end of that legendary battle from the outside. He simply could not fathom that the man acting so ridiculously before him was the same person who had fought that other monster to the death without retreating, yet reality insisted it was true.

*I pray that after that person sends me off, I will never encounter a guy like this again,* Kayaba prayed silently to himself.

"Very well, everyone. I believe you all have a certain understanding of the Boss we are about to face: the Blue-Eyed Horned Demon. Its weapon is a greatsword, and based on our deductions, it should be a power-type Boss. Therefore, everyone must ensure their HP remains above 60%." Although Kayaba was the creator of this death game, he had completely immersed himself in his role as Heathcliff. His words prompted everyone present to tighten their grip on the crystals they clutched in their free hands.

"Everyone! It begins now!" As the leaders of the Assault and Defense teams, Lancer and Heathcliff pushed open the doors to the Boss room together. All the players gripped their weapons tightly. Because of Lancer’s speech, they felt as if they had been transported back to the early days of the game. Back then, players lived under the constant threat of death; their nerves were always frayed, every battle was fought with everything they had, and they were able to unleash extraordinary strength. Now, they were experiencing that feeling once again.

"Alright, the strategy starts now!" The Defense Team, led by Kayaba, charged toward the Boss the moment the doors opened. Because of the lack of intelligence, the Assault Team could not fully commit, so they were tasked with baiting out the Boss's patterns. Lancer’s task was to formulate the strategy on the fly. Having already formed an impression of this Boss, Lancer announced the plan as soon as they entered.

"Although I spoke about the importance of caution during our meeting, this Boss is undoubtedly not enough to warrant the entire Assault Team attacking at once. Furthermore, we have another mission: to test Kirito’s rare skill. Therefore, I suggest that the first phase of the Boss be handled by Kirito alone. Everyone else should swap to secondary weapons, though naturally, keep your best armor equipped—after all, we are experimenting, not looking to die." After cracking a small joke, Lancer added, "I hope you all perform at your absolute best," and extended his clenched right hand.

"Just watch me," Kirito replied without hesitation, bumping his fist against Lancer’s.

"We are the hope of all players, after all!" It was just like Agil to say something so earnest, yet he, too, extended his right hand.

"Hey, hey, don't think the 'Fuurinkazan' is just here to watch," Klein, usually so boisterous, was no slower than the others in extending his fist.

"Of course. We in the Assault Team are the most afraid of dying among all the clearers," Diavel from the Army said with a strange smile.

"Haha!" And so, the Assault Team began its movement.

...

"The Assault Team is moving." The core of the Defense Team consisted mostly of members of the Knights of the Blood. Because the Defense Team’s role was more dangerous than the Assault Team’s, it had been formed under Heathcliff’s leadership, and his subordinates in the guild had mostly joined its ranks.

"They're moving quite fast this time." The time required to formulate a strategy usually varied, so the speed this time surprised the members of the Defense Team, who were used to standing there taking the Boss’s beatings.

"What is going on?" Even Heathcliff, who possessed his own unique skills, was fighting alongside the others. When they saw Kirito charging at the Boss alone, their first reaction was to wonder if the Assault Team leader had a grudge against Kirito. But when they remembered that the leader was Lancer, Kirito’s close friend, they were even more baffled.

"Turn him into a human limb-less stump! You youth who has inherited the will of the 'Gundam Seed'!" Seeing Kirito draw his second weapon, Lancer suddenly thought of a certain Tauren chieftain.

Kirito, holding off the Horned Demon with his dual blades, wanted nothing more than to ask what on earth a "Gundam Seed" was. Although he knew the others behind him would rush to help the moment he took damage, he remembered Lancer and Heathcliff’s words—to treat this raid as a dress rehearsal for the 75th floor—so he held back. He didn't know what "Gundam Seed" meant, but his intuition told him Lancer definitely wasn't complimenting him.

"Ah!"

"Awoo!"

The first sound was an exasperated roar from Kirito, and the second was a deeply frustrated cry from the Boss. The Boss had been sleeping soundly, dreaming of lovely sheep maidens, when a group of people had crashed in at the most critical moment. To make matters worse, they were as hard to crack as turtle shells. Just when he was feeling depressed, a kid had jumped out to challenge him to a duel. Just as he was about to enjoy himself, something even more frustrating happened: he was actually being suppressed? As a Boss, his dignity would not allow him to surrender. He raised his greatsword, intending to fight to the death. He believed that he would surely be the final victor.

"Boys! The Boss’s HP is below one bar! Everyone, let's finish him together!"

Just as the battle reached its white-hot peak, a voice that made the Boss want to vomit blood rang out.

In the end, the Boss, hacked to pieces by the swords of the clearers, could only glare with hatred at Lancer, who delivered the final blow with his scythe.

Lancer, perhaps sensing something, actually said to the Boss, "Safe travels."

"Pfft!" Everyone wondered if they had just suffered an auditory hallucination.

And so, the 74th-floor Boss was once again cut down by the clearers.