The curved blade slammed down on " Nameless ".
Lin Yuan did not directly confront him.
The instant the two swords clashed, he twisted his wrist outward, the spine of the sword sliding down the side of the giant blade. The power of the Gleam Eyes, enough to shatter a heavy shield, was redirected to the ground, the curved blade grazing Lin Yuan's side before slamming heavily into the stone slab.
The roar shook the entire hall.
Lin Yuan didn't even move a step.
He could block the blow, but there was no need. The boss's weapon was too heavy; a head-on collision would only put the force on both " Nameless " and the ground simultaneously. Changing direction a few inches with the momentum of the blow was far easier than wrestling with the entire monster.
The Gleam Eyes drew his giant sword and swung it horizontally with a backhand motion.
Lin Yuan took a step forward.
The Nameless Blade didn't collide with the blade; instead, it struck near the guard. The greatsword had just begun to accelerate, and its power hadn't been fully unleashed, when the blow pushed it upwards, sweeping past Lin Yuan's head.
The second strike missed.
The Boss roared and spun around, its curved blade pressing down again as it rotated. Lin Yuan didn't retreat from the attack range; instead, he moved inwards, close to its thick arm.
The longer the knife, the more difficult it is to change direction near the handle.
Nameless flicked along the outside of the Boss's wrist, then slashed at the wall beside him with his third strike. Large chunks of stone shattered, but the flying debris all landed behind Lin Yuan.
Asuna helped Kirito retreat to a safe position.
Kirito's skill stun had dissipated, and his HP was slowly recovering thanks to the recovery crystals. He didn't rush back into the battle, focusing instead on Lin Yuan's every sword strike.
"Why doesn't he attack?" a Liberation Army player couldn't help but ask.
"He's attacking," Kirito said.
"The boss's health hasn't decreased at all."
"Because he's not attacking the health bar."
The Gleam Eyes's fourth strike followed immediately.
This time, it deliberately kept the blade close to the ground, slashing upwards at an angle. The attack covered the entire front, making it impossible to dodge with a simple sidestep.
Lin Yuan finally gripped the sword with both hands.
The Nameless Sword pressed down on the curved blade from above. He did not stop the greatsword from rising, but instead used that force to rotate his body. The dark gray sword blade grazed the curved blade, and Lin Yuan was lifted into the air, landing on the outside of the Gleam Eyes's arm.
The giant sword continued to rise, but only struck empty air.
The fourth strike also missed.
The wound on the boss's back still bore the red glow left by Kirito's sixteen-hit combo. Its health bar was only a small portion away from being depleted, yet its attacks were even more ferocious than before.
The giant sword slashed down repeatedly.
The fifth time, Lin Yuan pressed the blade against the back of the sword, redirecting the strike to the left.
The sixth time, he struck the wrist before the greatsword could accelerate, causing the blade to fall to the ground prematurely.
On the seventh time, Lin Yuan stepped along the inside of the curved blade, and the hilt of his sword struck the Boss's elbow joint, causing his entire arm to twist.
Each time it was only a few inches off.
But it was precisely those few inches that prevented that weapon, capable of instantly killing an ordinary player, from ever touching Lin Yuan.
"No way..." muttered one of the members of the Fuurinkazan group behind Klein, " Kirito was fighting until he was almost dead, and he didn't even take a single step back?"
"No matter how large the level difference is, it's impossible to achieve this through attributes alone."
He never had a rank to begin with.
Discussions grew louder at the edge of the hall.
The Liberation Army players, who had been relieved to have escaped, had forgotten to speak. Their shield formation of more than a dozen people was still cleaved apart by the Gleam Eyes's single strike; Lin Yuan stood alone in place, causing all of the Boss's attacks to miss.
This is not a difference in numbers.
The Gleam Eyes possesses a larger body, heavier weapons, and stronger system attributes. However, Lin Yuan understands better than it where each strike will land, and knows when to make contact with the blade to change the outcome with minimal effort.
Kirito gradually realized something else.
Each time Lin Yuan disarmed the giant sword, the point of contact between the Nameless and the weapon changed. From the tip and the blade to the guard and the boss's wrist, he was confirming how the power was transferred from the monster's body into the weapon.
"What is he looking for?" Asuna asked.
"I don't know." Kirito looked at the carapace on the Gleam Eyes's chest, pierced by the sixteen consecutive attacks. "When we wield our swords, we're all somewhat bound by the system's sword techniques, but he's different. He can dismantle and absorb any moves used by players, monsters, or even floor bosses. He himself is a living encyclopedia of SAO martial arts."
As if in response to those words, the Gleam Eyes suddenly stopped attacking.
It took a half step back, its eyes turning from blue to a piercing scarlet. The wounds all over its body lit up at the same time, and the remaining blood flickered as if burning.
It held the curved blade above its head with both hands.
A massive crimson sword technique trajectory appeared beneath the Boss's feet. This was not any of the previous slashes, nor even a move that had appeared in the reconnaissance logs.
The air was forced outwards by the heavy pressure.
Players who were closer were forced to retreat, and the health bars above the injured players' heads began to flash erratically. If this strike landed, even if it didn't hit directly, the impact would be enough to sweep across most of the boss room.
"Everyone, stand against the wall!" Asuna shouted.
Klein and the other players who were still able to move immediately dragged the wounded man to the furthest point.
Kirito tried to get up, but the little HP he had just recovered was not enough to withstand another attack.
Lin Yuan remained standing in the center of the hall.
After seven consecutive encounters, he had figured out the center of gravity of the giant sword, the sequence of force exerted by the Boss's arm, and the constantly vibrating core beneath the chest armor.
This time, he did not carry the " Nameless " book across his body.
The dark gray longsword slowly drooped to the right side of his body.
Lin Yuan lowered his center of gravity and stepped into the crack that had been slashed by the giant sword.
The Gleam Eyes let out a roar that shook the dome.
The most powerful strike came crashing down.