Klein spoke in a worried voice as the Army members disappeared into the pa.s.sageway that led to the higher floor and the rhythmic sound of their footsteps vanished from our ears. He really was a good person.

"They're not really foolish enough to go and challenge the boss are they...?"

Asuna was worried as well. There was definitely something in Cobert's voice that hinted at a sort of recklessness.

"...should we take a quick look at what they're doing...?"

When I said this, not only did Klein and Asuna, but even the other five members of his party agreed.

...and they say that I'm too kind...

I thought this with a bitter smile. However, I had already made a decision. I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if we left the Labyrinth now and heard that they never made it back.

As I quickly checked my equipment and started walking, a sound reached my ears- I could tell that Klein was whispering to Asuna behind me. I was wondering if he hadn't received enough jabs when the content of their conversation surprised me.

"Ah-Asuna-san, how should I put this...that guy, Kirito, please treat him well. Even though he's not very good with words, isn't very fun, and is a battle-crazed idiot."

I dashed back and yanked Klein's bandana as hard as I could.

"Wh-What are you talking about!?"

"B-But."

The katana-wielder c.o.c.ked his head and scratched his beard.

"It's remarkable that you're partying with someone. Even if it's because you fell for Asuna, it's still an extraordinary amount of progress. That's why I-"

"I-I didn't fall for her!"

I argued back. But for some reason, Klein, his party members, and even Asuna all looked at me with a smile on their face. I couldn't do anything except silently turn back around and keep walking.

Then I heard Asuna declare: "Please leave him to me!"

I ran to the pa.s.sageway that led up to the next floor while making a loud racket with my boots.

Chapter 11.

Unfortunately for us, we ran into a group of Lizardmen on the way up. By the time the eight of us arrived at the top-floor pa.s.sageway, thirty minutes had already pa.s.sed, and we still hadn't caught up to the army members.

"Maybe they've already used their crystals to escape?"

Klein said jokingly, but none of us believed that they would have done that. As a result, we unconsciously sped up our footsteps as we walked down the long pa.s.sage.

When we were about halfway down, a sound that confirmed our fears echoed off the walls. We all immediately stopped to listen.

"Ahhhh..."

The faded noise that we heard was, without a doubt, a scream.

But it didn't belong to a monster. We all looked at each other and then started sprinting. Because of our high dexterity, Asuna and I ran faster than everyone else, and a gap quickly opened up between us and Klein's group. But this wasn't the time for us to care about that. We dashed like the wind through the shining blue corridor in the opposite direction as we had gone last time.

Soon, the great double doors came into sight. They were already open, and we could see the blue flames flickering inside and a huge shadow moving slowly within its depth. We also heard the intermittent sounds of screaming and metals clashing.

"No...!"

Asuna screamed with grief and accelerated her speed. I followed closely behind her. Our feet were barely touching the ground, as if we virtually flew through the air. I figured that we had already reached the limits of the system's support. Meanwhile, the pillars on either side of the pa.s.sage flashed past us.

As we neared the door, Asuna and I quickly reduced our speed. Sparks flew off our boots, and we managed to stop just barely in front of the gateway.

"Hey! Are you guys alright!?"

I shouted and leaned my body forward for a better view.

Inside-it looked like h.e.l.l.

Bluish-white flames were burning all across the floor. A huge figure stood straight in the middle of all this, its body shining as if it was made out of metal. That was the blue demon: The Gleameyes.

As The Gleameyes flourished its enormous zanbato-like sword around, a huge flaming breath streaked out of its mountain goat head. The damage dealt to it hadn't even reached one-third of its HP. Across the room from it, there were a bunch of silhouettes, their sizes tiny compared to the demon. They were the army group, and their members were busy scrambling for their lives.

They no longer had any order to speak of. I checked the number of people and immediately noticed that two of them were missing. It would be good if they had escaped by using a teleport item, but-.

Even as I thought this, one of them was. .h.i.t by the side of the zanbato and went flying. His HP had gone into the red danger zone. I don't know how it had gotten to this situation, but the demon had managed to get in between the Army members and the exit, and as a result they couldn't even flee. I shouted at the player who had fallen.

"What are you doing!? Use your teleport item!"

The man looked my way. His face reflected the bluish color of the flames and was full of despair. He then shouted: "That doesn't work...! T-The crystals aren't working!!"

"Wha..."

I couldn't say anything. Did that mean that this room was an "Anti-Crystal Area"? It was a rare trap that appeared in dungeons once in a while, but it had never appeared in a boss room up till now.

"How can that...!"

Asuna breathed in sharply. This was a case when we couldn't even just rush in and save them. Then, a player on the other side of the demon raised his sword and shouted.

"What are you saying!! The word retreat does not exist for the Liberation Army!! Fight!! Fight I tell you!!"

It was definitely Cobert's voice.

"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d!"

I screamed. The fact that two people had already disappeared in a no-crystal area-it meant that they were already dead, already gone. Something that should be avoided at all costs had already happened, and this idiot was still saying those things? I felt my blood boil with rage.

Then Klein and his party arrived.

"Hey, what's happening!?"

I quickly told him what the current situation was. As he heard it, Klein's expression got darker.

"Isn't...isn't there anything we can do...?"

We might be able to run in and make a way for them to get out. But since an emergency escape was impossible in this room, we couldn't ignore the possibility that one of us could die as well. We just didn't have enough people. As I struggled with this thought, Cobert had somehow managed to get his men back into order and shouted.

"Charge-!"

Two of the ten had already lost almost their entire HP and were lying on the ground. The other eight had gotten into lines of four with Cobert in the center, who led the charge with his sword raised high.

"No-!!"

But my voice didn't reach them.

It was such a pointless attack. If all eight of them ran in together, they wouldn't be able to use their sword skills properly and would only add to the confusion. They should be fighting defensively, rotating in one person at a time to deal damage, and then quickly switching out for the next member.

The demon straightened up and gave a ground-shaking roar before breathing out a blinding jet of fire. It seemed as if the breath counted as a damage-inflicting attack, and the eight slowed as the blue light of the flames engulfed them. The demon seized its chance and swung its huge sword. The body of a person was knocked into the air, flew over the demon's head, and then crashed hard into the ground before us.

It was Cobert.

His HP had vanished. With an expression that didn't even seem to understand the situation, he slowly moved his mouth.

-This is impossible.

He said soundlessly. Then, with a nerve-rending sound effect that pierced our souls, his body had shattered into a swirl of polygons. Next to me, Asuna gave a short scream at this meaningless death.

With their leader gone, the Army members immediately fell into chaos. They ran around screaming. All of their HP counts were already below the halfway mark.

"No...no...no more..."

As I heard Asuna's strained voice, I glanced sideways towards her. I immediately rushed to grab her arm...

But I was already too late.

"No-!!"

With this scream, Asuna ran off like a gust of wind. She drew her rapier from thin air and charged at The Gleameyes like a flash of light.

"Asuna!!"

I screamed. With no other choices available, I drew my sword and followed her.

"Eh, whatever!!"

Klein and his party then shouted and followed suit.

Asuna's reckless strike hit the back of the demon while its attention was elsewhere. But its HP hardly decreased at all.

The Gleameyes roared, then turned around and swung its zanbato downwards. Asuna immediately sidestepped to dodge, but she couldn't evade it completely and was knocked down by the shockwave. The second strike then swung towards her without hesitation.

"Asuna-!!"

I felt my body go cold with fear as I flung myself between Asuna and the blade. My sword barely managed to deflect the attack in time. Then, I felt an impact across my whole body as the shockwave hit me.

As sparks flew off the two blades, the demon's sword hit the floor only a few centimeters away from Asuna. It dug a huge hole into the ground with an explosion-like sound effect.

"Get back!"

I shouted and prepared for the demon's attacks. Its sword came at me repeatedly with a crushing might that felt like it could take my life with one hit. There wasn't any room for me to even attempt a counterattack.

The Gleameyes' techniques were basically two-handed sword skills. But they were slightly customized, which made them impossible to read. I concentrated fully on defending with sidesteps and parries. But its attacks were monstrously powerful and chipped away at my HP with every pa.s.sing swing.

"Argh!!"

Eventually, one of its strikes accurately hit my body. I felt its stunning impact, and my HP decreased immensely.

My equipment and skills were far from those of a tank. If I kept this up, it would only lead to my death. The fear of dying sent a chill down my body. I couldn't even try to escape anymore.

There was only one thing that I could do. I would have to go against it with everything I had as a damage dealer.

"Asuna! Klein! Give me ten seconds!"

I shouted and swung my sword hard to block the demon's blow and make a break point. Then, I flung myself to the ground and rolled away. Klein immediately took my place and kept the demon back with his katana.

But Klein's katana and Asuna's rapier were weapons that relied on speed and therefore lacked in weight. I figured that it wouldn't be easy for them to block the demon's zanbato. As I laid on the ground, I opened the menu with my left hand.

I couldn't afford to make a single mistake now. With my heart pounding against my chest, I began moving the fingers of my right hand. I scrolled down my item list, picked something from it, and equipped it in the blank s.p.a.ce on my equipment profile. Then I opened the skill window and changed my weapon skill.

After finishing all this, I touched the OK b.u.t.ton and closed the window. I confirmed the additional weight on my back, then raised my head and shouted: "I'm done!!"

I saw Klein get hit once, and his HP decreased as he stepped back. Normally, he should have used a crystal to heal himself, but that wasn't possible in this room. Now, Asuna was fighting with the demon, and within just a few seconds her HP had already gone below the halfway mark and turned yellow.

After she heard me, Asuna nodded with her back towards me and gave a short shout before executing a piercing skill.

"Yaaaa!"

A white streak of light flew through the air and struck The Gleameyes' weapon, causing sparks to spray out. As a loud noise resounded, the distance between Asuna and the demon widened.

"Switch!!"

I didn't miss the opportunity and charged straight at the enemy. The demon quickly recovered from the short stunning effect and raised its sword high up into the air. With the sword in my right hand, I blocked the demon's blade as it came down from a flame-like trajectory. Then, I reached behind my back with my left hand and grabbed the handle of the new sword. I drew it and struck in one smooth movement. The demon's HP reduced noticeably as the first clean hit registered.

"Kwuaaaaa!"