Deep within the seventy-fourth level of the maze, Lin Yuan heard the first scream.
The sound came from across the two stone corridors, quickly drowned out by a heavy impact. The walls shook, and fine dust fell from the ceiling, clearly indicating that some enormous monster was fighting nearby.
Lin Yuan drew the Nameless Sword and accelerated in the direction the sound came from.
Turning the last corner, the massive boss room door came into view. The two stone doors were fully open, and flashes of swordplay light emanated from within. Several players were dragging their heavily wounded companions outwards, their health bars mostly hanging precariously red.
"Are there still people inside?" Lin Yuan grabbed the last shield warrior who had retreated.
" The Black Swordsman and the Knights of the Blood are still here!" the Shield Warrior gasped. "After Kobatz led us in, the door suddenly closed. That boss is simply not something we can fight right now!"
Lin Yuan released him and went straight into the room.
A blood-red light enveloped the entire hall.
A ram-headed demon with cyan skin stood in the center, its body even larger than the first-floor boss. The curved greatsword in its hand was almost as tall as the player, and each swing left a dark slash mark on the ground.
The Gleam Eyes.
More than ten Liberation Army players lay dead at the edge of the room. Asuna and Klein stood guard on either side, preventing the Boss from turning on those who were incapacitated.
What truly drew everyone's attention was the black figure in the center.
Kirito held a sword in each hand.
The sword in his right hand, " The Elucidator," was jet black and heavy, while the sword in his left hand, " The Dark Repulser," gleamed with a pale blue light. The swordplay of the two swords was so intense that the light from their strikes was almost imperceptible.
Lin Yuan recognized the starting move.
Kirito once demonstrated this unique skill to only him in a secluded dungeon hall. At that time, he was facing a test statue, and Kirito was able to calmly sheathe his sword after sixteen slashes.
But now it's completely different.
The Gleam Eyes went berserk.
The first sword slashed through the abdomen, the second cut in from the shoulder, and the third and fourth swords simultaneously knocked away the giant sword. Kirito continued to advance, and the boss's health bar rapidly decreased during the sixteen-hit combo.
The Gleam Eyes did not retreat.
Its left arm muscles suddenly swelled, forcefully sweeping across while enduring the sword technique. Kirito didn't have time to fully dodge, and the demon's elbow struck his shoulder.
The Black Swordsman was thrown back several steps by the impact.
His HP suddenly dropped significantly.
" Kirito!" Asuna tried to approach.
The Gleam Eyes swung his blade backhand, forcing her to raise her rapier to parry. The curved blade collided with the sword, and Asuna was pushed towards the edge of the hall.
Kirito took a new step.
Once the Dual Blades sword technique is interrupted, all previous attacks become meaningless. The Gleam Eyes still has some health left, but the wounded Liberation Army soldiers no longer have a second chance to retreat.
The Dark Repulser slashes at the Boss's wrist from below, followed immediately by the Elucidator piercing his chest.
The fifth sword strike.
The sixth sword strike.
The Gleam Eyes roared and raised its giant sword. Kirito passed right through the blade, both swords striking the same wound in quick succession.
Lin Yuan did not immediately rush into the battle.
Kirito's sword technique wasn't over yet. Rushing into the attack trajectory would only disrupt the continuous judgment maintained by the system for his Dual Blades. He moved along the edge of the hall, first dragging a player who had fallen behind the Boss out of range.
As the tenth sword strike landed, the Gleam Eyes's health bar turned red.
Kirito's situation was even worse.
The impact from his berserk state continued to pierce through the twin swords, each collision reducing his HP by a small amount. The system's sword techniques forced his body to continue the subsequent movements, Kirito was no longer able to stop on his own.
The twelfth sword.
The Boss's giant blade grazed his side.
Kirito's health bar dropped to the yellow end.
The thirteenth and fourteenth swords cleaved through the armor on the Gleam Eyes's chest. The Boss's health was down to its last bit, but it suddenly abandoned its defense, gripped the curved greatsword with both hands, and raised it high above its head.
"It needs a blood transfusion!" Klein shouted.
Kirito noticed it too.
The Gleam Eyes wasn't going to survive the sixteen-hit combo. It planned to strike Kirito directly with its last two sword strikes, trading its remaining health for the enemy in front of it.
The fifteenth sword pierced the Boss's chest.
The Gleam Eyes's greatsword fell simultaneously.
Kirito had no way out. His sword technique was not yet complete, and the final strike had to follow the trajectory given by the system. He could only aim " The Elucidator " at the core of the boss, hoping to deplete that health bar before the giant sword hit.
The distance between the two sides rapidly decreased.
The curved blade first grazed Kirito's shoulder.
His HP dropped to red, leaving him with only a sliver of health.
Kirito had even seen the blade turn toward his neck when he suddenly felt his collar tighten.
A hand grabbed his black coat from behind and lifted him up.
The final strike of the sixteen-hit combo was forcibly deflected.
Before the system freeze had even worn off, Kirito was thrown out of the Gleam Eyes's attack range like a piece of luggage. Asuna rushed up and caught him, and the two of them crashed to the ground together.
Kirito didn't have time to check his health; he immediately turned around.
Lin Yuan stood where he had just been.
The curved greatsword fell headlong, and " Nameless " was already unsheathed.
Your sword has stopped.
Lin Yuan raised his dark gray longsword, standing between the Gleam Eyes and all the wounded.
"Next, use mine."