Deep in the maze on the seventy-fifth floor, deafening sounds continued to come from the obsidian boss room.
The vibrations caused by the impact made the foundation of the building make a wailing cracking sound, as if everything might collapse at any time.
And the culprits who caused all this are still fighting fiercely on the battlefield in the center of the space.
That was no longer a battle with normal rules.
Rather than saying it is a competition between two 'players', it is better to say that it is a duel between two 'humanoid bosses'.
The battle mode they are currently using has completely gone out of the system's settings, and the weapons they are wielding even have continuous afterimages.
As long as one party launches an attack, the other party will seize the opportunity to counterattack more sharply.
Only the health bars and IDs above the two people's heads still retain the final settings of this world.
After getting used to 'Yuuki' in this state, Heathcliff no longer seemed so restrained.
He deflected the flaming sword with the cross shield of his left hand at an angle that was imperceptible to the naked eye, and counterattacked with his right sword, which successfully left red scratches on the girl's arm. The corners of the man's mouth rose again.
"It seems that although your state is completely different from that of ordinary players, it still does not exceed the world I set."
So far in the battle, Heathcliff has discovered that if he is the top final boss template, then Yuuki's value in this state should be the limit that players can reach.
"..."
Without refuting the other party's words, a trace of uneasiness flashed across 'Yuuki's expressionless face.
Or was this man aware of it?
In the final analysis, this posture of "Manyuri" is just an "imaginary body" that is most suitable for carrying and guiding the spirit consciousness. Although it is out of the scope of ordinary players, fundamentally speaking, it does not go beyond the world he set.
Yes, just 'now'.
As for why, only ‘Yuki’ himself knows.
(…)
(Does it still take some time to analyze...)
With a strange look in his eyes, the silent blond elf rushed out again.
At the same time, just as the battle between Yuuki and Heathcliff gradually intensified, the already restless maze area once again welcomed a large number of 'guests'.
"Yui! Is that the direction?"
At the front of the team, a girl with chestnut hair asked the little girl on her back.
"...Well! Mom is in that direction!"
After confirming with her eyes closed, the little girl nodded seriously.
Hearing these words, the people in front looked at each other and then quickened their pace.
After discovering that Yuuki was 'missing', Aiko and the others immediately summoned all their friends to ask if there was any news about her.
It's just a pity that their president was well hidden this time and was not discovered by anyone.
Just when everyone was at a loss what to do, the little girl who had been curled up on the sofa since coming out of the room suddenly spoke up and said that she had found Yuuki's whereabouts.
Because of this, everyone knew what kind of existence this little girl who kept calling Yuuki ‘mom’ was.
While shocked by Yui's identity, the girls in the guild also took action quickly.
Although there were some deviations from the original plan, most of the teams that prepared to participate in the strategy ended up joining in.
Of course, being able to notify so many people in such a short period of time also owes a lot to a certain rat intelligence agent.
After reaching the seventy-fifth floor, with Yui leading the way, the maze area that was only half explored seemed to be completely open to everyone, and they were heading towards the boss room by the shortest route.
"..."
But as the team continued to break through, the expression on Lanzi's face became increasingly pale.
According to the direction directed by Yui, they were already very deep, and the boss room was probably nearby.
She didn't know why her sister could break into the advanced maze area here so easily, but from now on, it seemed that the battle had probably already begun.
Is it really impossible to catch up?
…
"It's okay, Sister Lan... The people from the "Army" have already replied... Yuuki's name doesn't appear on the monument, and didn't Yui say it? Mom is still alive."
Suguha, who approached Aiko and forced a smile, noticed that he was in a strange state and spoke words of comfort.
"Um……"
He shook his head softly and said that he didn't need to worry about himself. Without seeing his sister standing in front of him intact, Lanzi still couldn't feel at ease.
Soon, after entering the area composed of obsidian, someone discovered something at the front.
"Yes! There!"
"——!"
Everyone was excited because the boss room was already in front of them.
The crisp sound of the collision of weapons echoed in the dome space, and the battle between 'Yuuki' and Heathcliff continued.
But at this time, the balance of victory seems to be tilting slightly.
"...Your movements have become a lot slower. This state must be very taxing on your body in the real world."
The moment their eyes met, this keen man had already seen some clues.
"..."
(... [Recovery rate] is only %... I'm trying to keep up... my body...)
Not surprised by Heathcliff's words, 'Yuuki' also smiled bitterly in her heart.
Even a partially 'integrated' state would put pressure on her rapidly deteriorating body, let alone this 'completely descended' state.
Moreover, she put most of her consciousness on "another thing" during the battle, which could be said to be accelerating her "death".
Now that her body was about to reach its limit, she had to be cautious.
(...Do you want to use it, but the analysis has not been completed yet...)
(…)
"You are full of flaws now."
"——!"
After just a moment of confusion, Heathcliff seemed to have found an opportunity to attack.
(Tsk...it was almost...)
Unfortunately, facing a boss who once again activated his unique skills, there was not much time for ‘Yuuki’ to think about it.
Just when she was forced to reveal her 'trump card' in advance, an unexpected voice suddenly came from behind her.
"Xiaoyu——!!!!"
The first thing that sounded was his sister's shout, and then followed by the commanding voice was a neat attack on Heathcliff.
"Team C, Team D! Activate throwing skills! Target, 'Heathcliff'!"
"Captain Kirito, I leave the command of Team A, Team B and Team E to you!"
"learn!"
Taking over the command of a certain knight who claimed to be a knight, the boy who had already put on the uniform of the leader of the blood alliance quickly passed by 'Yuki', surrounded the boss in red who had retreated after being attacked, and directed his companions to launch attacks on him.
"Sword Skills".
"Xiaoyu! Are you okay?!"
He rushed to Yuuki and hugged her. Even though his form had changed, Aiko still relied on his "sister's intuition" to recognize who the "angel" in front of him was.
"you……"
With her mouth slightly open, 'Yuki' looked at the people who arrived in surprise.
"I have never forgotten the life I owed you at that time."
Putting his hands in front of himself, the blue-haired young man performed a standard knightly salute.
"Haha, I haven't been on the front line for a long time. It's rare for the singer and my deputy commander to speak."
With the silver-haired whip user next to him who was in a blushing state, the leader of the "Army" touched the back of his head heartily.
"Fortunate to have been taken care of by you, please let us do our part!"
After hearing Keita's words, everyone in the Tsukiye Black Cat Group who were standing outside to provide support also smiled kindly.
"Aaaaaah——?! Is this Miss Angel the President Yuuki?"
The down-and-out samurai who still hadn't figured out the situation actually had the leisure to turn his head and shout during the battle. Kirito lowered his head to avoid the red boss's counterattack, and said to him "Idiot! You can tell by looking at the ID."
Come on!"
Familiar figures appeared one after another, and naturally all members of her guild were present.
Listening to the 'complaints' of his companions, 'Yuuki' didn't know what to say to express her feelings.
With a gentle expression, he looked at Lanzi, who was buried in his arms and refused to let go, and it seemed that a thousand words could only be reduced to one sentence.
"...I'm sorry...and...thank you..." (To be continued)