"Finally..."
Hours of clearing up mobs, fighting against five other field bosses, and fatigue is what they paid to arrive in front of this gigantic door. It has the same design as the ones in the labyrinths, but much bigger.
"Magic. is. cool!"
Though, a single girl couldn't help but be excited every time she sees magic. Whenever she sees runes and magic circles, stars appeared in her eyes.
"Hey, Shiro. Can I learn that too?"
"...Maybe."
He can only shrug his shoulders. Since he knew that she's an A.I., how could she possess magic circuits and the likes? Still, using mana might be possible inside this game.
"Shiro."
Suddenly, Kuroneko called out.
"Mn?"
"Look, a ghost."
She calmly pointed towards the nearly transparent figure lying near the huge door. If one wouldn't focus their sights, they wouldn't find it easily.
Shino is the first one to lose calm.
"A g-ghost?!Where?!"
"T-they exist?!"
Surprisingly, Strea looked just as scared as Shino, making Shiro dumbfounded.
"You too?!"
'An AI that is scared of ghosts? You can be more scientific!' He retorted in his mind.
"Aniki, should I?"
Shinji readied his [Light Magic] as it is effective against spiritual beings such as ghosts.
"No need. Look, there's an exclamation mark on top of his head."
"I see."
They are all too familiar with this sight. Whenever there's a golden exclamation mark in an NPC, it could only mean one thing - quest!
They quickly got closer to it before initiating a conversation with it.
"Hello. You need some help?"
"Ah."
The moment the silhouette heard Shiro, his dazed eyes became sharp. It scanned the group for a moment before letting out a tired yet shocked voice.
"You are... users of mana?"
"...That's right. How did you know?"
"Your presence. Ever since the Great Separation, magic disappeared. But how..?"
It seemed to be in some sort of contemplation before it snapped back to reality by itself.
"It doesn't matter. Everyone here must be strong enough to reach the end of this dungeon. So..." It paused for a moment, hesitating on whether it should ask their help or not until it came to a conclusion. "Can you help me kill my father?"
As he said it, a notification window appeared in front of everyone here, Strea included.
===========
«Undead Exorcism»
Details: The former Forest Elf King, Nazadiel, resurrected once more as a terrifying undead with great martial prowess. Together with his soldiers, he will run rampant in the lands of the steel castle. On the other hand, his son wishes to put him into rest as his final request.
Quest Completion: The death of the undead Elf King.
Accept / / Deny
===========
After reading for a dozen seconds, everyone decided to accept this quest since they'll face the undead boss anyways.
"Alright."
"Thank you, brave warriors. May the blessing of the Wind God be with... you."
Once the ghost elf finished his last words, he turned into golden particles of light before disappearing. Though, he left them behind with something special.
Soon, they noticed the changes in their bodies.
"A new status. It's called ..."
Kal'tsit found it odd that even Monst3r got affected by it, but she placed it on the back of her mind to be studied later.
When they clicked on the new status beside their names, they saw its description.
Simply put, it increases their movement speed, attack speed, and enables them to glide in the air for a few seconds. What's more important is that the increase in their speed is 50%!
Shiro and Kal'tsit quickly adapted to the change, but the same couldn't be said to anyone else. Shinji and Kuroneko almost stumbled quite a few times while Shino slipped down to the floor head-first.
"Ow!"
'This reminds me of Tomimi...' He thought as he began using his [Life Magic] to ease the pain and heal her HP. While he did so, he spoke to the other three.
"Hm... It'll be a problem if we go to the boss room like this, right? How about... you three spar against me? Adapting in fights should be much faster."
"Spar? Aniki, I'm in!" Shinji enthusiastically replied as he almost fell down to the floor.
"This one doesn't shy away from mere duels."
"Fight against you, Shiro-san? I want to try..."
Shiro waited for Shino to heal before he and the other three positioned a few feet away from him.
"Don't hold back, alright?" He took out his [Fragrant Olive Sword] and continued, "Come at me as if you would kill me."
*****
Tap.
Tap.
Clang!
When Shiro parried Kuroneko's dagger and pointed the tip of the golden blade at her throat, it ended their little sparring session. The moment he placed down his sword, she immediately sat on the ground with her fatigue stat as high as 75.
This is not without any gains, however.
Shinji, Shino, and Kuroneko managed to bring out almost every strength of theirs to fight against Shiro, albeit they still lost. They have almost the same stats due to the latter being a few levels higher than them, but that's it.
His exquisite techniques were mostly integrated by him after training here in Aincrad. After all, the memories that he got back when he first stepped into Winged Knight are simply too huge. Right now, he can finally look for some ways to break through the 'Master' level mastery and unlock the so-called 'Intents'.
In the end, Shiro can suppress them thanks to his high-speed processing speed and experiences.
This did not come without any cost, however. His body is severely limited right now and is much weaker than before, thus he had to catch his breath a few times before speaking.
"Y'all did great." He began pointing out their strengths one by one.
"Shinji can completely adapt to situations and Shino made great use of her superb kinetic vision." He then looked towards Kuroneko and said, "And Kuroneko. You've improved so much in a short period of time. It seems that you've decided already."
"...That is so."
In this fight, her attacks possessed a very slight amount of lethality. In simpler terms, she developed killing intent. This could only mean one thing, and that is her choosing to throw away her mundaneness and go deeper in this magical world instead.
"Let's rest for a while." He said as he plopped down the floor, power drained in his body. He lied down the cold hard floor along with the other three.
To be honest, this is the first time he felt like this since his battle with Surtr. His body is so exhausted, but he can control himself to continue fighting. It's as if... he's used to such thing that it became a reflex of his.
'Who am I, really?'
At first, he thought that he's an assassin or a soldier of sorts until he came into contact with his origin. At that time, he found out that he has two origins, namely: Books and Armaments.
The former should've represented his desire for more knowledge while the latter... he could only guess that he's a warrior king of sorts.
Even though he'd wanted to find out more, he couldn't bring himself to use the Memory Card yet. The memories stored within there can be huge, and it'll take him time to integrate it with himself.
If he doesn't do so, he might experience the same thing as Surtr - the world being surreal and such.
An hour and a half had passed before they could fully recover. Standing in front of the door, Shiro pushed it open. When the room became brightly lit, what greeted their sight is a skeleton wearing a ruler's robe; with decayed long hair and a golden crown with red and blue jewels embedded around it.
The flames in its eye sockets became stronger as he looked at them.
Their boss fight had finally begun.
*****
A/N: Just finished writing the end of this boss fight. I really had fun writing some of SAO's characters as well as their reactions. To be honest, I've long wanted to write one but y'know, laziness...
Here's the fact of the day! It's Sword Art Online this time!
Fact #18: In Aincrad and Alfheim, multiple-hit sword skills are the norm. However, it is the opposite when it comes to Underworld. There, they specialize in one-hit combos instead, something that aims to defeat their foe as quickly as they could. If you've noticed in the anime, that's the main reason why you can't see a continuous glowing sword during their fight scenes; only Kirito and Eugeo are versed in Aincrad-style. Its main catch is the previous outside skill. With it, the Aincrad style 'connects' these one-hit combo skills to form a continuous-hit combo. So yeah, an Iai would've prospered in it, I guess.
"Finally..."
Hours of clearing up mobs, fighting against five other field bosses, and fatigue is what they paid to arrive in front of this gigantic door. It has the same design as the ones in the labyrinths, but much bigger.
"Magic. is. cool!"
Though, a single girl couldn't help but be excited every time she sees magic. Whenever she sees runes and magic circles, stars appeared in her eyes.
"Hey, Shiro. Can I learn that too?"
"...Maybe."
He can only shrug his shoulders. Since he knew that she's an A.I., how could she possess magic circuits and the likes? Still, using mana might be possible inside this game.
"Shiro."
Suddenly, Kuroneko called out.
"Mn?"
"Look, a ghost."
She calmly pointed towards the nearly transparent figure lying near the huge door. If one wouldn't focus their sights, they wouldn't find it easily.
Shino is the first one to lose calm.
"A g-ghost?!Where?!"
"T-they exist?!"
Surprisingly, Strea looked just as scared as Shino, making Shiro dumbfounded.
"You too?!"
'An AI that is scared of ghosts? You can be more scientific!' He retorted in his mind.
"Aniki, should I?"
Shinji readied his [Light Magic] as it is effective against spiritual beings such as ghosts.
"No need. Look, there's an exclamation mark on top of his head."
"I see."
They are all too familiar with this sight. Whenever there's a golden exclamation mark in an NPC, it could only mean one thing - quest!
They quickly got closer to it before initiating a conversation with it.
"Hello. You need some help?"
"Ah."
The moment the silhouette heard Shiro, his dazed eyes became sharp. It scanned the group for a moment before letting out a tired yet shocked voice.
"You are... users of mana?"
"...That's right. How did you know?"
"Your presence. Ever since the Great Separation, magic disappeared. But how..?"
It seemed to be in some sort of contemplation before it snapped back to reality by itself.
"It doesn't matter. Everyone here must be strong enough to reach the end of this dungeon. So..." It paused for a moment, hesitating on whether it should ask their help or not until it came to a conclusion. "Can you help me kill my father?"
As he said it, a notification window appeared in front of everyone here, Strea included.
===========
«Undead Exorcism»
Details: The former Forest Elf King, Nazadiel, resurrected once more as a terrifying undead with great martial prowess. Together with his soldiers, he will run rampant in the lands of the steel castle. On the other hand, his son wishes to put him into rest as his final request.
Quest Completion: The death of the undead Elf King.
Accept / / Deny
===========
After reading for a dozen seconds, everyone decided to accept this quest since they'll face the undead boss anyways.
"Alright."
"Thank you, brave warriors. May the blessing of the Wind God be with... you."
Once the ghost elf finished his last words, he turned into golden particles of light before disappearing. Though, he left them behind with something special.
Soon, they noticed the changes in their bodies.
"A new status. It's called ..."
Kal'tsit found it odd that even Monst3r got affected by it, but she placed it on the back of her mind to be studied later.
When they clicked on the new status beside their names, they saw its description.
Simply put, it increases their movement speed, attack speed, and enables them to glide in the air for a few seconds. What's more important is that the increase in their speed is 50%!
Shiro and Kal'tsit quickly adapted to the change, but the same couldn't be said to anyone else. Shinji and Kuroneko almost stumbled quite a few times while Shino slipped down to the floor head-first.
"Ow!"
'This reminds me of Tomimi...' He thought as he began using his [Life Magic] to ease the pain and heal her HP. While he did so, he spoke to the other three.
"Hm... It'll be a problem if we go to the boss room like this, right? How about... you three spar against me? Adapting in fights should be much faster."
"Spar? Aniki, I'm in!" Shinji enthusiastically replied as he almost fell down to the floor.
"This one doesn't shy away from mere duels."
"Fight against you, Shiro-san? I want to try..."
Shiro waited for Shino to heal before he and the other three positioned a few feet away from him.
"Don't hold back, alright?" He took out his [Fragrant Olive Sword] and continued, "Come at me as if you would kill me."
*****
Tap.
Tap.
Clang!
When Shiro parried Kuroneko's dagger and pointed the tip of the golden blade at her throat, it ended their little sparring session. The moment he placed down his sword, she immediately sat on the ground with her fatigue stat as high as 75.
This is not without any gains, however.
Shinji, Shino, and Kuroneko managed to bring out almost every strength of theirs to fight against Shiro, albeit they still lost. They have almost the same stats due to the latter being a few levels higher than them, but that's it.
His exquisite techniques were mostly integrated by him after training here in Aincrad. After all, the memories that he got back when he first stepped into Winged Knight are simply too huge. Right now, he can finally look for some ways to break through the 'Master' level mastery and unlock the so-called 'Intents'.
In the end, Shiro can suppress them thanks to his high-speed processing speed and experiences.
This did not come without any cost, however. His body is severely limited right now and is much weaker than before, thus he had to catch his breath a few times before speaking.
"Y'all did great." He began pointing out their strengths one by one.
"Shinji can completely adapt to situations and Shino made great use of her superb kinetic vision." He then looked towards Kuroneko and said, "And Kuroneko. You've improved so much in a short period of time. It seems that you've decided already."
"...That is so."
In this fight, her attacks possessed a very slight amount of lethality. In simpler terms, she developed killing intent. This could only mean one thing, and that is her choosing to throw away her mundaneness and go deeper in this magical world instead.
"Let's rest for a while." He said as he plopped down the floor, power drained in his body. He lied down the cold hard floor along with the other three.
To be honest, this is the first time he felt like this since his battle with Surtr. His body is so exhausted, but he can control himself to continue fighting. It's as if... he's used to such thing that it became a reflex of his.
'Who am I, really?'
At first, he thought that he's an assassin or a soldier of sorts until he came into contact with his origin. At that time, he found out that he has two origins, namely: Books and Armaments.
The former should've represented his desire for more knowledge while the latter... he could only guess that he's a warrior king of sorts.
Even though he'd wanted to find out more, he couldn't bring himself to use the Memory Card yet. The memories stored within there can be huge, and it'll take him time to integrate it with himself.
If he doesn't do so, he might experience the same thing as Surtr - the world being surreal and such.
An hour and a half had passed before they could fully recover. Standing in front of the door, Shiro pushed it open. When the room became brightly lit, what greeted their sight is a skeleton wearing a ruler's robe; with decayed long hair and a golden crown with red and blue jewels embedded around it.
The flames in its eye sockets became stronger as he looked at them.
Their boss fight had finally begun.
*****
A/N: Just finished writing the end of this boss fight. I really had fun writing some of SAO's characters as well as their reactions. To be honest, I've long wanted to write one but y'know, laziness...
Here's the fact of the day! It's Sword Art Online this time!
Fact #18: In Aincrad and Alfheim, multiple-hit sword skills are the norm. However, it is the opposite when it comes to Underworld. There, they specialize in one-hit combos instead, something that aims to defeat their foe as quickly as they could. If you've noticed in the anime, that's the main reason why you can't see a continuous glowing sword during their fight scenes; only Kirito and Eugeo are versed in Aincrad-style. Its main catch is the previous outside skill. With it, the Aincrad style 'connects' these one-hit combo skills to form a continuous-hit combo. So yeah, an Iai would've prospered in it, I guess.
