Chapter Text
February 8, 2023. 11:04 A.M.
Stage 20, 17th Floor Labyrinth, Outside the Boss Room.
The Clearers stood before the enormous stone doors that blocked the domicile of the Floor Boss away from the rest of the Labyrinth.
Beyond this room would be the stairs and doors leading to the 18th Floor.
No one was looking that far ahead just yet. Everyone's focus was solely on defeating the 17th Floor Boss. Whatever happens after that, well, they'd only start considering it after that was accomplished.
They already made all the preparations necessary, but Tetsuya just had to make sure of one last thing.
"Ready?"
Mito looked behind to glance at the rest of the Clearers, many, if not all, of which nodded and held their weapons close.
Mito glanced back at Tetsuya and nodded.
"They're ready."
Tetsuya nodded and slowly pushed the stone doors open. A loud and deafening creaking noise echoed throughout the labyrinth.
Once the doors were pushed open, the Clearers slowly walked inside the Boss Room.
Everything was still rather dark. It was hard to see anything except directly in front.
Tetsuya just continued walking towards the center, with sabre in hand, keeping an eye out for anything that moves.
The rest of the Clearers just continued to follow along. No one said a word. No cheap jokes or jabs. The mood was completely serious.
Eventually, Tetsuya and the Clearers came to a halt when what seemed to be a wall stopped them from progressing any further.
Mito was a bit confused as she began to look around.
"What? Is this already the other end of the Boss Room?"
Tetsuya shook his head.
"No, that can't be. The entrance to the Boss Room is still a bit too close."
Kirito soon joined in on the conversation.
"Maybe we have to navigate through another maze to find the boss?"
Just when it seemed like that would be the more appropriate answer, the Clearers felt a warm gust of air blow through them.
Tetsuya turned his head to look at where the air came from, and suddenly found himself face to face with one opened eye, which looked similiar to a reptilian, yellow colors with a narrow black iris.
At once, Tetsuya knew the answer to Kirito's question.
"It looks like we won't have to find it any further... POSITIONS, NOW!"
Six HP bars showed up along with the Floor Boss's name.
[Ancient Dragon]
The torches around the boss room began lighting up. At the same time, the Clearers began sprinting into position as one singular group.
Defense squadrons in front: Squad A and Squad B.
Directly behind them were Squad F.
Behind Squad F were Squads C, D, E, and G.
At the rearmost position were Squads H and I.
Tetsuya waited for everyone to get in position, and once that was done, he shouted for everyone to stand down for now and be patient.
"Wait for it to attack first! Observe its movements and patterns!"
The Clearers watched as the dragon raised its wings up high before stepping up from its slumbering position, raising all four legs.
When one of its legs landed a bit too close to the Clearers' position, the ground quaked for a bit, forcing them to suddenly lose their balance.
As they were regaining their footing, Kid was already ahead of the curve and even called out an attack.
"Above us!"
Tetsuya glanced up and saw that the dragon was already raising another leg, preparing to smash it down towards their general position.
"DISPERSE! DISPERSE!"
Tetsuya's orders clearly rang through everyone's ears. They dodged away from the middle, with most being able to escape the area of effect of the dragon's pouncing attack.
As the dust settled, Tetsuya was first and foremost concerned with the safety and well-being of his comrades.
"Is everyone okay?!"
Lind was the first to respond.
"I saw some players get hit!"
Tetsuya nodded right away.
"Alright, get those players away from the front lines! AOI! LISA!"
They answered simultaneously.
"Here!"
"Right here!"
Tetsuya gave them new tasks to handle right away.
"Take care of the players that Lind is going to bring back! Make sure they're healed up before sending them back into the fray!"
Aoi and Lisa got to work right away, having the rest of the support squadrons distribute health potions to the players that needed it.
At the same time, Tetsuya kept issuing new orders to retain a sense of order in their ranks.
"ELLIOT! AGIL! I WANT THAT DEFENSE LINE BACK UP RIGHT THIS INSTANT!"
The tank players were able to form up in a straight line once more.
It was right on time too, since the dragon had raised its wings up high once more before flying momentarily, and then unleashing vicious gusts of wind towards the Clearers.
Another one-word command was shouted out loudly by Tetsuya.
"COVER! COVER!"
Cover - All other players hide behind an extended shield wall.
The two defense squadrons with their combined straight line formation raised their shields up in front of them. The other players got a bit closer behind them.
As a result, the gusts of wind that were unleashed were largely deflected by the shields, and didn't cause any further harm aside from pushing the Clearers back slightly.
Many of the players' instincts were to counterattack right away but Tetsuya kept them in line.
"Not yet! Wait for it!"
It was a good call too. The dragon spun around while waving its tail around. If anyone tried to charge in just now, they would have been thrown back to the walls of the Boss Room.
The dragon glanced around for a bit before flying momentarily again and it flew back for a bit, gaining some distance between itself and the Clearers. This caused Tetsuya to narrow his eyes slightly.
'It didn't use that move just yet. Hmmm, I'll keep a count to see if there's a pattern. One.'
From this point on, two options lay in front. Either they maintain their distance, in which case, the dragon would resort to heavy-hitting ranged attacks that were predictable, or they close the distance, in which case, the dragon would be forced to use quick close-ranged attacks that didn't deal as much damage but it would reposition constantly.
Tetsuya looked back at the rest of the Clearers, wanting to check on the status of the injured players from earlire.
"Is everyone's HP back in the green zone now?!"
Aoi responded quickly.
"The players from earlier have their HP replenished! We're good now!"
Tetsuya nodded right away.
"Alright, charge forward!"
After having discussed the 17th Floor Boss's tendencies based on the information they procured, the Clearers opted to go for the close-ranged approach on the basis that they would be like sitting ducks most of the time and when they would have the opportunity to attack, it would be too small of a window.
As the Clearers approached, the dragon thrusted its tail forwards, using its spiky tip like a spear.
"Dodge to the left side now!"
Everyone followed Tetsuya's instructions, managing to avoid being hit by the tail. By now, they were closing the distance in on the dragon, fast.
The plan wasn't to attack it head on. This was a dragon that they were facing. Brute force tactics wouldn't work against a force of nature.
Instead, they would make sure that it couldn't escape so easily.
"Wait for it!"
The distance between the Clearers and the dragon continued to decrease with each step they all took. Just when it seemed like they were going to charge onto it directly, Tetsuya gave a new order.
"BREAK! BREAK!!"
The Clearers broke off into two groups. It was the same set of groups as the ones created for labyrinth exploration.
Group A consisted of Tetsuya's Squad F, Jiro's Squad D, Elliot's Squad A, and Aoi's Squad H.
Group B consisted of Lind's Squad C, Kibaou's Squad E, Agil's Squad B, Orlando's Squad G, and Lisa's Squad I.
Each group went off to focus on one of the dragon's legs. For now, they would focus on the front legs.
"ATTACK!! FOCUS ON THE LEGS!! IMMOBILIZE IT!"
They all unleashed a flurry of skills towards the dragon's legs in an attempt to injure it momentarily. At the same time, they were starting to chip away at the first of eight total HP bars that the 17th Floor Boss had.
When it seemed like they weren't dealing enough damage to bring it down, the dragon raised its wings up high once more, most likely planning on flying away.
Tetsuya and Kirito had other plans. Tetsuya activated [Rapid Slash] while Kirito activated [Sonic Leap], both of them dashing in close to the dragon's proximity. After that, Tetsuya activated [Tri-Slash] while Kirito activated [Vertical Arc].
In total, they cut away at the dragon's legs seven times. After Kirito unleashed that final slash, the dragon fell to the ground momentarily, but its other front leg was still standing.
That was when Agil rushed in and used [Sweeping Smash], swinging low and hard to injure its other leg too, bringing the dragon down to the ground completely.
"Swarm the dragon! All-out attack!!!"
Tetsuya and the rest of the Clearers managed to already lower its first HP bar down to the yellow zone.
A result of their experience and continuous development, they were becoming more and more effective as a combined unit.
As the others continued to attack and use more skills, Tetsuya kept a watchful eye on the [Ancient Dragon], waiting for it to make its next move.
Once the dragon opened its eyes once more, Tetsuya called off the attack.
"REGROUP! REGROUP NOW!"
The Clearers backed away from the boss and returned to their positions. Groups A and B faced the dragon together. By now, visible scars were showing on the black scales of the dragon itself.
Even though they could have attacked the boss for a few more seconds, there was a very good reason as to why Tetsuya had the Clearers retreat a bit earlier.
As the dragon recovered and started to get back up, it slammed its previously injured legs onto the ground, causing the ground to tremble momentarily. Had they overstayed their welcome, they would've been well within the AoE range of that attack.
The dragon howled in pain before shaking things off. Unfortunately, they could only immobilize it for a short period of time before it would recover. They couldn't keep it down forever.
At the very least, the odds weren't insurmountable. Tetsuya preferred it that way.
'We'll just have to keep knocking it back down then.'
The [Ancient Dragon] began crouching slightly, with both legs entering a springing-up motion. It was more than a good enough hint for Tetsuya.
"Combine ranks! It's going to charge towards us!"
The two groups combined into one formation yet again, but this time, the two defense squadrons had formed up just behind one another.
There were now two columns of shields. One at the lower half and another at the upper half. Elliot and his squadron were holding the shields for the forrmer, and for the latter, Agil and the rest of Squad B had that task.
"HOLD!"
The Clearers combined into a unified mass right behind the defense squadrons, all while pushing their weight forward slightly.
As the dragon leapt forward and swung its front leg to swipe its claws at the Clearers, the new defense formation along with the support from the rest of the members allowed the claw attack to be repelled.
They couldn't stay there for long, though. Another one-word command had to be used.
"Retreat!"
Retreat - Compared to Disperse where players spread out, Retreat refers to players all heading backwards to gain distance or space away from an opponent.
The Clearers ran back just in time to avoid the dragon's tailspin move. Once again, no one was hurt or caught out by the attack.
Tetsuya continued to observe the dragon, waiting for one particular move.
However, it simply flew up into the air without bellowing.
'Two... It's still not using it. Perhaps after three attempts, it'll use it. We have to be careful.'
The [Ancient Dragon] was preparing to use its gust wind attack once more. Tetsuya used the same strategy from earlier since it seemed to work quite well without needing much adjustments.
"Cover!"
The strong winds only pushed them back a bit. This was very important, since seconds later, it flew to a different location. They only had a limited amount of time before it would fly away again and use more ranged attacks.
"Forward!"
As the Clearers ran towards the dragon, Tetsuya patted both Mito and Asuna on the shoulder.
"Go for its head!"
Mito and Asuna nodded and sprinted ahead of the main group, both wielding their spear and rapier, respectively, at the ready.
Mito activated [Leaping Lunge] while Asuna activated [Flunge]. Both of them jumped up and thrust their weapons forward, aiming directly for its head.
The force the dragon received from the two attacks gave it momentary whiplash. That gave them just enough time to do what they needed to do.
The [Ancient Dragon] reflected itself in Tetsuya's eyes and he soon noticed that after the whiplash, it was leaning a bit too far into the right.
"ATTACK ITS RIGHT FRONT LEG, NOW!"
With all the other members focusing on just one leg, they were able to injure it quickly. Since its weight was tipping onto that side and with one less support to rely on, the dragon fell over to its side.
"Swarm it! Let's go!"
Mito and Asuna managed to regroup with the rest of the Clearers, and altogether, they attacked the boss with nothing held back, every skill that could be used in that moment was used with no hesitation.
That, combined with the attack Mito and Asuna landed on the dragon's head, was enough to fully deplete the dragon's first HP bar.
With that, another call to back off was made.
"Retreat! Get back in formation! Regroup!"
The Clearers ran back, gaining some significant distance between themselves and the 17th Floor Boss. With everyone safe and within their current formation, Tetsuya shifted his focus back to watching the dragon's next move.
Once the dragon recovered and got back up, it roared as loud as it could, its bellow echoed throughout the room. It was so loud in fact that many of the Clearers had to cover their ears, with some even dropping to their knees due to the shockwave it emitted.
Tetsuya was no exception. So were the rest of Squad F. He was forced to cover both his ears as he fell onto one knee.
"Nghhh!"
As the howling went on, Tetsuya mustered all his strength to not drop his sabre and not succumb completely. He limped forwards and poked Elliot and Agil, who were beside each other.
They turned around to face him. They, too, were suffering from the deafening howls the dragon was emitting. Tetsuya's voice to them, at best, was muffled, but they were able to understand him perfectly.
"...COVER...! ...COVER...!!!"
Elliot rallied his squadmates and raised his shield up high, prompting the rest to do the same. Agil placed his two-handed axe on his back and brought out his shield as well, doing the same thing, which in turn, made the rest of his squadron bring their shields out too.
With a temporary metal wall made, the soundwaves were quickly disrupted and were no longer directly focused on the Clearers' position, allowing them to withstand the dragon's howl much easier.
Once the dragon stopped howling, Tetsuya wanted to get everyone up and standing again.
"Up on your feet, get up! That dragon isn't going to wait for you to stand up and do some stretching! GET UP!"
Once everyone was back in position, Tetsuya glanced at the dragon again, and watched as it flew up once more, hovering above the ground.
This time, it wasn't going to try and attack them from a distance. It was going to swoop right in on them.
They already discussed this certain scenario. Unfortunately, dodging or blocking was out of the question.
"Alright, it's going to come flying low just above us! Stay close to each other! On my signal, use whatever upward aiming skill you have at your disposal! READY?!"
The DPS squadron leaders, Lind, Jiro, and Kibaou responded in kind.
"Ready!"
"All set!"
"Good to go!"
Tetsuya nodded right away.
"Alright! Wait for it! Don't panic attack it!"
The dragon began its descent, getting closer and closer to the ground. Its claws seemed like it was going to rip a few players out from their current position. Still, it was a bit too far away. It wasn't the proper time just yet. Tetsuya urged patience and caution.
"Wait... Not yet... Hold...!"
Its claws were headed straight for them. Still, Tetsuya gave no order, not just yet, at least.
"Hold!"
Just when it seemed like the dragon's claws were about to reach in and grab a couple of Clearers away, Tetsuya finally gave the order.
"Now! Attack!"
The Clearers employed a mix of semi-ranged attacks and upward aiming skills. Mito used [Lunge] while Asuna used [Linear]. As for Kirito, he opted to use [Rage Spike]. Meanwhile, Tetsuya used [Heavenstrike].
With all of the Clearers' attacks concentrated towards its rear legs, the same legs that the dragon was intent on using to swoop in and snatch a few players, the dragon couldn't stay low for long and was forced to fly up high again.
That was the first pass done, but as with most things they face in boss fights, they weren't done just yet. Tetsuya had everyone reposition.
"Pivot to the other side! It's going to come back for another pass!"
Once the Clearers reversed their formation to face the other side, the dragon began its descent once more. It was moving a bit faster this time.
Still, the plan didn't change much. Tetsuya decided to count things down this time, to keep everyone in rhythm.
"Get ready! When I say go, attack, in four, three, two, one!"
The [Ancient Dragon] had gone just now enough to be within range once more.
"GO!!!"
With the Clearers at a more unified rhythm, their attack was less spread out and more concentrated.
Tetsuya was intent on extending this opportunity further.
'This is our chance... Like hell I'll let it slip!'
[Aerial Cut]
Tetsuya leaped up above the rest of the Clearers and cut across the bottom of one of the dragon's feet cleanly. The dragon howled in pain as it continued to keep itself airborne but was too focused on staying mid-air that it didn't realize how close it already was to the ground beforehand.
The dragon crashed onto the ground, making the ground tremble much more intensely than before.
As Tetsuya landed back on the ground, Mito took over and issued orders in his stead.
"ATTACK!"
Everyone roared as they approached the dragon at the other end of the boss room, currently still down on the ground, dazed and unconscious.
The Clearers began to deal damage to the dragon's second HP bar.
Their group, as a whole, began to show significant improvement after defeating [Reverie the Knightshade Gladiator] on the 11th Floor.
Reverie was a significant stepping stone for the Clearers in terms of their development. Following this, squadrons and members began to branch out.
Asuna was beginning to show signs of being a real warrior out on the front lines.
Kirito continued to explore the limits of the game itself and also the limits of his own player build.
Mito fully accepted her role as the second in command of the Clearers.
As for Tetsuya, he became someone that represented the Clearers as a whole.
The *Rea Enyor* duelist. His own reputation preceded him.
With effective efficiency, the second HP bar was brought down to the yellow zone.
Eager to press their advantage further, the Clearers continued using skill after skill on the dragon. Tetsuya had to remind them to not overextend.
"Don't push it and force it any further!"
Kid then noticed movement near the dragon's rear.
"Its tail's moving!"
There wasn't nearly enough time to dodge. Rather than try to force things with a margin of error, Tetsuya adapted things on the fly.
"Defense squads, on me! Face the tail area! EVERYONE ELSE, BEHIND US!"
Lind soon gave a verbal warning about the dragon's next attack.
"THE TAIL'S SWINGING FOR US!"
With both squads A and B now in position, Tetsuya had them form up a shield wall.
"SHIELDS UP! BLOCK BECAUSE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT! NOW!"
As the tail came swinging in, it made contact with the defense squadrons' shields. At first, it was pushing them back, and rather convincingly too.
Tetsuya began pushing back with all his might, all while rallying everyone to stand strong and not give up any further ground.
"Hold! HOLD!!!"
The defense squadrons followed in their leader's example and began to hold the tail back at bay.
"Ghhhh...!"
"Come on... Come on, dammit... COME ON!!!"
"PUSH!!!"
Tetsuya was already preoccupied with holding the line along with Elliot and Agil and the rest of their squad members. Despite that, he was still level-headed enough to delegate more tasks to Mito.
"Grab a few people along with you and go for the dragon's head again! Hurry!"
Mito nodded and turned to face the other Clearers that weren't involved with the defense.
"Kirito, Asuna, with me! Beowulf, Jiro, you're joining along as well too! Lind, Kibaou, Orlando, prepare to have the rest attack once we stun the dragon! LET'S GO!!!"
Beowulf was a member of Squad G, Orlando's Legend Braves, as they were called. Beowulf was one of a handful of players that wielded a two-handed sword. She figured that they'd need the strength in bringing down the dragon once more.
They flanked around the other side since the dragon was facing the other way to protect its head from further damage. With its back turned towards the main group, it was tougher to break through there, so they had to make something happen.
As they turned past one of its legs and rounded past the corner to come face to face with the [Ancient Dragon], they soon found out that its eyes were already staring directly at them. It was even showing its fangs.
A split second of being surprised and caught off guard was enough to count as a mistake. The dragon set its eyes on Jiro and used that moment to lean in and prepare to snatch him away from the rest of the group.
Reacting quickly was Kirito, who used [Rage Spike] to dash in and thrust his sword into the dragon's palate - the roof of its mouth.
However, Kirito's sword collided with one of its prominent fangs, and since dragon's teeth were famously strong, it parried his attack away. The dragon switched targets and prepared to bite into Kirito's upper half.
Mito soon recovered and dashed in, using [Rolling Lunge] to get herself into a better position and then thrusted her spear directly into the roof of the dragon's mouth, managing to pierce it.
As her spear punctured through her target, she shouted for her companions to take action.
"BEOWULF, JIRO, NOW!!! ASUNA, GO FOR THE EYES!"
Beowulf stepped in and used [Cascade], raising the sword above his head before slashing downwards with heavy force. Meanwhile, Jiro also dashed in and used [Slant], going for an angled downward slash. Both attacks were aiming towards the dragon's head area in general.
As for Asuna, she used [Linear] and aimed for one of its eyes.
However, the attacks from all three were mistimed slightly, with Beowulf and Jiro getting ahead of Asuna for just a split second. The dragon averted its face slightly to cause Asuna's rapier to miss, but still, they were able to accomplish their original objective.
The dragon pulled its tail away from the defense squadrons, allowing the rest of the Clearers to finally jump in. They went for the opportunity they had, unleashing more skills at the dragon's legs. Tetsuya turned back and helped the rest of the Clearers attack.
They weren't able to attack for as much as they wanted. The dragon raised its wings up high and flapped them to create gusts of wind that pushed the Clearers away.
Well, most of them, at least.
Mito, whose spear was still stuck in the dragon's mouth, refused to let go of her spear, and as a result, was carried up with the dragon, who howled in pain as it couldn't close its mouth off fully.
"WOAH, SHIT!!!"
Kirito and Asuna tried to reach out to Mito but were already too late. Asuna shouted out of concern for her.
"Mito!!!"
Tetsuya heard Mito's name get called and immediately rushed over to where Kirito and Asuna's position.
His first and foremost concern was Mito's safety at the moment. He asked the two of them about her right away since he couldn't see her nearby.
"Where's Mito?!"
Kirito didn't know how to answer that question.
"Uhm... I don't think you're going to understand the answer right away!"
Tetsuya's expression pretty much spelled out 'Huh?' in the most convincingly confused way possible. He turned to Asuna, who was a bit more direct to the point.
"She's currently with the dragon!"
Tetsuya's eyes widened, not out of fear, but more of surprise.
"What?!"
He looked up to confirm what they were saying and it was just as they had described, Mito was hanging from her spear, which was still embedded in the dragon's mouth.
Fall damage still existed in Sword Art Online. If she fell from this height now, she wold certainly die.
As the seconds passed, she felt her grip on the spear loosen slowly but surely.
Realizing that she couldn't stay down here for long, Mito began looking for a way to escape this predicament.
Its legs were a bit too far to jump down to, and even if she could reach them, she would be forced to hang and hold on tight and she would have to be along for the ride.
Mito was not satisfied with that option. She wanted to force the dragon back down into the ground on her own terms.
She began to swing her body back and forth, following a pendulum-like motion.
For a brief moment, Mito recalled her high school gymnast days. While she wasn't as invested in gymnastics as Tetsuya was with basketball - she only tried it for a year while he spent around two years - that was besides the point.
It was still a significant part of her life. Now, she was using her prior experience to help herself out.
After a few more attempts of swinging herself back and forth, she was soon reaching the peak speed possible to be gained.
'Leap of faith, Mito... Leap of faith... Come on....!'
She pulled herself back one more time before leaning fully forward, releasing her grip slightly to propel her hands closer to the other end of the spear.
Her body followed a half-circle path as her legs extended towards onto the top of the dragon's head. She then tightened her grip on the spear and pulled tightly.
That, added with the momentum she gained from her swing earlier, she managed to pull the spear out of the dragon's mouth.
Mito was now on top of the dragon. She was in the driver's seat now.
Glancing around for a bit, she then looked ahead, taking a deep breath.
"Okay... I'm on top now but... How do I get back down?"
As Mito thought about her current situation - she was on top of a dragon flying around a boss room - an idea popped into her head. The reason this dragon was able to fly and keep flying so far was because of one simple reason.
"The wings."
She glanced at the dragon's wings but that was when she hesitated for a bit. She didn't know which wing to attack. If she attacked the wrong one that would send the dragon straight into the wall, she might crash along with it, and her chances to survive would still be slim.
'What should I do here...?'
An answer to her question came moments later, and it was from her companion, who was keeping watch on her the whole time.
Tetsuya shouted as loud as he could, hoping Mito would be able to hear him.
"Wait until it's leaning away from the wall! Whatever direction it'll be leaning in, attack that side's wing!"
Mito nodded right away.
"Alright... Okay, whichever direction it's leaning in as long as it's away from the wall. I can do that."
Soon enough, the dragon began flying around the boss room in circles, just passing time to recover before continuing its assault.
Mito soon realized that this was the perfect time to strike. It was leaning slightly towards the left since it was staying away from the walls on the right. This boss room was currently a circular shaped one.
'The left wing... Now!'
Mito activated [Barrage] and attacked the main muscle controlling the wings with three thrusts but nothing happened.
Narrowing her eyes slightly, she groaned and tried again. Another use of [Barrage] but still nothing. By now, the dragon's path was starting to become linear, going in a straight path. She was about to lose her chance.
Refusing in the face of potential death hundreds of meters below her, she glared and attacked one last time.
"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF BEING UP HERE!"
[Barrage]
The dragon howled in pain and began to descend quickly. Its left wing was stiff and the dragon found it difficult to move it beyond a certain point, most likely due to Mito having hit a pressure point.
The dragon continued to avoid flying straight into the wall or any of the nearby pillars. Trying to slam Mito into the wall would prove to be detrimental for itself too. It was in its best interests to keep itself and Mito aloft for now.
Soon enough, the dragon was at a sufficient enough height for Mito to consider dropping off. It was still a rather significant height but any further waiting might result in her crash landing along with the dragon itself.
She was no damsel in distress. She didn't need any countdown or for anyone to catch her. Like she told herself earlier, it was a leap of faith.
Taking one more deep breath, she closed her eyes momentarily before leaning forward, opening her eyes as she began falling towards the ground.
Seconds later, the dragon crashed into the ground as well, causing a huge cloud of dust to obstruct the Clearers' vision.
As the dust settled, they saw Mito, crouching slightly, with her HP in the yellow zone. She was looking down slightly, with both feet on the ground and her posture leaning forward with one hand also on the ground while the other hand held the spear at her side.
She looked up, her glowing red eyes visible past the dust and debris, and she looked at the Clearers momentarily before standing up and turning around, spinnng her spear around in one hand to enter a new combat stance.
With a smile on his face and a very impressed expression, Tetsuya raised his sabre up high and roared.
"ALL HANDS, ATTACK!"
With that, all the Clearers charged forward at once, united.
With everyone attacking at once, the dragon's second HP bar continued to get lower and lower.
60%. 58%. 55% 52% 50%.
With both momentum and morale on their side, the Clearers felt unstoppable, and they more or less were.
50%. 48%. 45% 43% 41%.
As the second HP bar approached closer and closer to the red zone, the Clearers got even more ferocious and aggressive, unleashing various combos of skills. Some players had invented in their own combos after Tetsuya taught them the concept of Skill Connecting.
Other players worked together, preferring to use two separate skills at the same time, combining for maximum damage, much the same as how the four members of Squad F would sync up their attacks every now and then.
All in all, they were in perfect harmony.
40%. 37%. 35% 33%. 32%. 31%. 30%.
Once the second HP bar reached 30%, it entered the red zone.
As Tetsuya finished up his own five-hit combo, he soon stopped when he felt a warm gust of air blow through his feet.
'What?'
Tetsuya glanced over at the [Ancient Dragon], whose eyes started to open slowly. It was breathing heavily, and with each exhale, more warm gusts of air came out of its nose and mouth.
So too did puffs of smoke.
Despite being visibly elated, the Clearers soon realized that, as Aincrad itself would have it, they would not easily run away with this battle in tow. Control of the boss fight would not be so easily handed over to them.
A new factor had to be accounted for.
The move that Tetsuya and the Clearers had worked so hard to work around was now something they had to inevitably work against. This was the first instance of them encountering it but everyone knew it certainly wouldn't be the last.
It was a dragon, after all. Tetsuya knew it would always have something like this up its sleeve.
It was back to a level playing field. The Clearers had already made their move. It was time for the dragon to respond accordingly.
As the dragon began to get back up, the puffs of smoke became flashes of fire.
That was the confirmation Tetsuya needed.
"Fire breath..."
| The Carrot and The Stick, Part 2 |