I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

The powerful impact left two marks on the ground where Mochizuki Kaede's feet had slid, but he steadily blocked the fatal blow.

"Switch!" Mochizuki Kaede shouted.

A chestnut-colored figure flashed past like lightning.

Asuna seized the moment when the lord leaned forward, and her rapier transformed into a streak of silver light, piercing straight into his left knee joint.

The rapier struck precisely, and the kobold lord let out a painful howl, its health bar visibly dropping a small portion. But it quickly adjusted its stance, its round shield sweeping across with a whistling sound.

"Switch!"

Asuna swiftly dodged, her body suddenly retreating. Mochizuki Kaede understood immediately and stepped forward almost simultaneously.

He gripped the longsword tightly with both hands, the tip thrusting straight out.

The sword pierced precisely through the gap in the round shield, leaving a scar at the junction of the lord's armor around his waist.

"Roar--!"

The lord roared in pain and raised his giant axe high.

Mochizuki Kaede quickly retreated, while Asuna had already circled around to the BOSS's flank.

Asuna's rapier gleamed with the light of her skill, its tip transforming into a flash of light as she aimed straight for the lord's right arm joint.

Seizing the moment when the lord was distracted, Mochizuki Kaede drew a crescent-shaped arc of light from bottom to top with his longsword.

The two sword beams struck almost simultaneously, and the lord's health bar dropped significantly once again.

"Switch between the fourth and third teams!" Diabel's command came again.

Mochizuki Kaede and Asuna exchanged glances, and without a word, they both took a step back.

Their steps were perfectly synchronized, as if they had practiced a thousand times.

Mochizuki swept her longsword horizontally, forcing back the kobold lord's pursuit. Asuna then gracefully performed a backflip, her rapier leaving a wound on the kobold lord's wrist as she retreated.

The instant they stepped back—

"Drink!" Aikir's powerful battle cry resounded.

His massive frame swung his battle axe, bringing it down heavily on the round shield the lord had just raised.

With a deafening crash, tiny cracks appeared on the surface of the shield.

The twin swords in the King of Fangs' hands gleamed with the light of his skills, their tips aimed straight for the kobold lord's exposed weak point on his right abdomen.

Forced to abandon his pursuit of Mochizuki Kaede and Asuna, the kobold lord angrily turned to face a new threat.

Aikir seized the opportunity and swung his battle axe again, forcing the kobold lord to retreat repeatedly.

In the distance, Diabel nodded in satisfaction, then returned to directing the overall operation.

Under his command, the entire battlefield was in perfect harmony, with each squad meshing like precise gears, gradually driving the BOSS into a desperate situation.

Chapter Nineteen: The Final Blow

When the BOSS's health was down to just one bar, the kobold lord suddenly let out a deafening roar and slammed his giant axe and round shield into the ground. The loud crash of metal against stone sent shivers down the spines of all the players.

"I'll deliver the final blow!"

Diabel charged to the front of the group with a shout, his longsword flashing with dazzling swordplay light.

The kobold lord drew a two-meter-long nodachi from behind his back.

Just then, a black-haired boy among the players shouted urgently, "It's not wielding a scimitar, it's a nodachi! Quickly, dodge backward with all your might!"

But everything happened too fast—

The nodachi pierced the ceiling with a whooshing sound, and the kobold lord's figure turned into a blur the next second.

Its massive body leaped up with incredible agility, the nodachi drawing a deadly arc!

Diabel's pupils contracted sharply; his sword technique was already activated and there was no stopping it. He could only watch helplessly as the kobold lord executed a physics-defying turn in mid-air, his nodachi transforming into a streak of purple lightning—

"Pfft!"

The dull thud of a blade piercing flesh sent a chill down everyone's spine, and Diabel's chest erupted with a large amount of orange light particles representing damage.

"what--!"

Diabel's screams echoed throughout the hall.

His body was struck heavily by the downward slash of the nodachi, his health points instantly dropped to zero, and he flew out like a kite with a broken string.

The kobold lord gave them no chance to breathe, raising his nodachi high once more, aiming at the fallen Diabel—

"clang!!!"

At the critical moment, two flashes of cold light, like shooting stars, crossed paths and firmly blocked the fatal blow! Amidst the sparks, Mochizuki Kaede's longsword and Asuna's rapier crossed into a cross. The muscles in their arms trembled from the immense impact, yet they remained unmoved, protecting Diabel behind them.

"Don't even think about succeeding!" Mochizuki Kaede gritted her teeth and resisted the heavy pressure of the nodachi, her arm muscles tensed to the limit.

"Back off!" he growled, forcefully parrying the nodachi. Asuna stepped forward, her slender figure blocking Diabel's path, her rapier aimed directly at the kobold lord's throat.

The kobold lord let out an angry roar, and his massive body leaped backward with astonishing agility, his nodachi drawing a purple arc in front of him.

"Watch out! Its movements have changed!" Wang Yuefeng warned in a deep voice, holding his long sword horizontally in front of his chest.

“It’s even faster than before…” Asuna was slightly out of breath, but her eyes remained sharp as swords.

The two stood side by side, adjusting their breathing rhythm in perfect unison.

The kobold lord was now completely different from before. Its massive body no longer hindered its movements, and the nodachi was as light as a feather in its hands. Every swing of the nodachi was accompanied by a sharp whistling sound.

At the same time, a black-haired boy rushed to Diabel's side.

He knelt on one knee and took out a bottle of healing potion.

"Drink it quickly!"

The boy said eagerly, bringing the medicine to Diabel's lips.

Diabel swallowed the potion with difficulty, and his health finally recovered from the dangerous red zone to yellow. He weakly opened his eyes and said with a wry smile, "Thank you..."

"Why did you rush up alone?" the black-haired boy asked.

Diabel smiled with relief: "You were a closed beta player too, right... then you should understand..."

The black-haired boy was taken aback upon hearing this, then suddenly realized: "You're here for the rare item rewarded for getting the final blow... So you're also a closed beta player."

Diabel had already stood up, supporting himself on the black-haired boy's shoulders.

Although his face remained pale, his voice resounded across the battlefield like thunder:

"All players—do not back down! Charge! This is our victory!"

This sound jolted the players, who had been stunned by the unexpected turn of events, back to reality.

"Come on—!"

Dozens of soldiers simultaneously roared in battle.

The kobold lord lowered his body and slowly sheathed his nodachi, the blade of which began to glow with an eerie purple light!

Mochizuki Kaede charged forward with his longsword, charging towards the BOSS with all his might. Just as he stepped into the attack range—

"Zheng——!"

A purplish-black blade flashed out like lightning! Mochizuki Kaede's longsword clashed violently with the nodachi, sparks flying. The immense impact numbed his hands and sent him sliding backward uncontrollably.

"Switch!" Mochizuki Kaede shouted through gritted teeth.

Asuna's figure swiftly swept past him, her rapier transforming into a blue flash, aiming directly for the opening revealed by the kobold lord's swordsmanship. However, the kobold lord reacted with astonishing speed, dodging to the side and swinging his nodachi in a backhand motion—

"clang!"

Asuna narrowly blocked the attack, but was still knocked back several steps.

"Don't give it a chance to breathe!" Agil's roar came from behind. His massive body charged forward like a chariot, his battle axe cleaving down with the force to split mountains and shatter rocks.

Almost simultaneously, the figure of the Tooth King also appeared from the other side.

Other players joined the battle, and the clash of swords surged towards the wounded lord like a tidal wave. The King of Fangs' twin blades, Agil's battle axe, and countless weapons gleaming with the light of their skills all coalesced into a torrent.

The kobold lord roared in fury, wildly swinging its nodachi. The violent wind from the blade created shockwaves that repelled all advancing players. It leaped high into the air, its raised nodachi completely enveloped in purple energy, and brought it down upon the players who had lost their balance below.

"Danger!"

Upon seeing this, the black-haired boy's pupils contracted sharply. He gripped the sword hilt, and the blade instantly emitted a dazzling yellow light.

"Drink——!"

With a roar, he leaped into the air.

"clang--!!!"

The loud clang of metal colliding was so loud it hurt people's eardrums.

The black-haired youth, wielding his sword with both hands, forcefully blocked the deadly slash in mid-air. Purple and blue energies clashed violently, sparking dazzling fireworks.

"Ugh..."

The boy gritted his teeth, his arm trembling violently from the immense pressure. Just as his sword technique was about to freeze, he shouted, "Switch!"

Mochizuki Kaede and Asuna shot out like two bolts of lightning. They exchanged a knowing glance as they sprinted forward, understanding each other without needing a word.

Mochizuki Kaede's longsword flashed silver light as it slashed from the upper right to the lower left, while Asuna's rapier flashed blue light as it thrust from the upper left to the lower right. The two sword paths intersected perfectly in the air, forming a dazzling "X" shaped slash.

"Crack——!"

The massive body was torn apart by the sword technique, and the kobold lord's crimson pupils suddenly dilated. The nodachi clattered to the ground. Its body began to crack, and countless fragments of blue data burst forth from the wounds.

"Roar......"

With a final, unwilling howl, the massive body collapsed with a deafening roar.

"Ding--!"

The system notification "[BOSS battle victory]" lit up in front of everyone's eyes.

Mochizuki Kaede's longsword slowly lowered, while Asuna's rapier remained in its final thrusting stance. The two stood amidst the scattered blue specks of light, like a still frame in a painting.

"It's...it's a success!" a player shouted, trembling.

The entire boss room fell into a brief silence, which was then followed by deafening cheers.

Mochizuki Kaede let out a long sigh and turned to look at Asuna beside her. The girl's chestnut hair was soaked with sweat, but a victorious smile played on her lips.

The first level has finally been breached!

They finally took the first step—

They took the most solid step toward that distant, hundredth-level hope.

Chapter 20: Kirito

Blue particles of light drifted in the air as I leaned on my knees, panting heavily.

My hand was still numb; that block had almost shattered my wrist. When I looked up, I saw the moment the partners delivered their final blow—

The cross-shaped flashes from the longsword and the rapier completely depleted the BOSS's remaining HP.

The silver-haired swordsman named Mochizuki Kaede wielded his sword with clean, crisp movements, without any unnecessary flourishes. Meanwhile, the girl wielding the rapier thrust was so fast it was like a flash of light, reminding me of a shooting star.

The two swordsmen's swordplay was so precise that it was as if the same person was wielding two weapons, and even their retreating steps when finishing a move were perfectly synchronized.

This kind of cooperation...

I instinctively gripped the still-hot sword hilt.

I've seen many powerful teams during the closed beta, but it's rare to see a combination that can utilize tactical switching to this extent.

What's even more surprising is that the lights that shone from their weapons were all the most basic sword skills. They didn't use any advanced sword skills; they relied purely on perfect timing and positioning to deliver the fatal blow.

"Can someone who isn't a closed beta tester really be this strong...?"

As the murmur escaped my lips, I realized that the entire Tooth King's team was also gaping in astonishment.

Akiel stroked his stubble and chuckled wryly, "Hey, this is way better than the closed beta testers."

Cheers surged forth like a tidal wave, making my eardrums buzz. I stood at the edge of the crowd, watching Diabel being tossed high into the air by the excited players.