I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

The two attackers rained down on General Taurus's weak point in the lower back like a storm. The battle axe cleaved through gaps in his armor, while the one-handed sword precisely pierced the tendon joint. Multiple damage numbers flashed wildly above the boss's head, and his health bar visibly decreased.

The moment the attack ended, the two retreated in perfect unison. Mochizuki Kaede and Asuna immediately filled in, their longsword and rapier flashing brilliantly simultaneously—

The relentless onslaught caused Admiral Taurus's massive body to sway.

A yellow rotating light effect suddenly appeared around its horned helmet, and its five-meter-tall body staggered back two steps. This was the [dizziness] state determined by the system!

"Everyone!"

Diabel raised his longsword high, his voice echoing throughout the arena: "Two rounds of full power!"

"Ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh—!"

More than thirty players roared in anger at the same time.

The shield warriors abandoned their defensive stances and swung their warhammers, while the damage dealers unleashed their strongest sword techniques without reservation. The arena was instantly engulfed in red, blue, purple, and other colored skill lights, with explosive special effects following one after another. Admiral Taurus's health rapidly decreased, quickly falling below the 50% yellow warning threshold.

After the players' all-out attack subsided, they quickly retreated and regrouped. Just then, Admiral Taurus's body underwent a horrifying transformation—

Its bulging muscles tinged with an ominous purplish-red, and veins bulged like earthworms beneath its deep red fur. The golden warhammer was raised high above its head, and the electric current coiled around its head changed from golden to scarlet, emitting a chilling crackling sound.

"Roar! Ro ...

A deafening roar swept across the entire arena, causing even the stone pillars to tremble. Gravel rained down from the vaulted ceiling, and cracks spread across the ground like a spiderweb. This was the hallmark of the boss's [Paralyzing Impact] attack, and its most dangerous moment.

"Looking at the moon, Maple!" Diabel's shout pierced through the noise.

Without needing a reminder, Mochizuki Kaede had already placed his hand on his waist. As Admiral Taurus raised his warhammer to its highest point, he suddenly drew out the jet-black [Bison Horn Flute]. Runes on the flute's surface shone with a dazzling golden light, as if sensing a power of the same origin.

"Now!" Asuna held her rapier horizontally in front of him, shielding him from the flying pebbles.

Mochizuki Kaede held the horn to her lips and took a deep breath—

"Woo——"

The deep, resonant sound of the horn instantly drowned out all the noise.

The sound waves materialized into a golden halo, spreading across the entire arena at a visible speed. Admiral Taurus suddenly froze, and the red light on his warhammer receded like a tide.

A system notification pops up in front of everyone:

[Forced dizziness takes effect: 3 seconds]

"Everyone!" Diabel's roar echoed through the arena. "Charge at full speed!"

More than thirty figures surged towards the frozen Taurus General like a tidal wave. Sword light, axe shadows, and spear gleams intertwined to form a deadly net, and various skill effects illuminated the dimly lit arena as if it were daytime. The BOSS's health bar plummeted at an alarming rate, finally reaching zero with a final, unwilling roar.

The massive, five-meter-tall body leaned back and froze, the golden warhammer slipping from its stiff hand.

The next second, General Taurus's body cracked like a shattered mirror, turning into countless blue data fragments that scattered in all directions.

"Win...win?"

"One player said, trembling."

After a brief silence, a deafening roar erupted: "We won!"

"we won!"

No one was killed!

Ya Wang raised his twin swords and laughed wildly: "I knew it would work!"

Agil wiped the sweat from his brow and slammed his battle axe heavily onto the ground. Asuna and Mochizuki Kaede exchanged a glance and both breathed a sigh of relief.

Two seconds later, the cheers gradually subsided.

Not right.

The system announcement that should have resounded throughout the entire floor was delayed, and the beam of light for passing through the level did not appear.

An eerie silence fell over the arena, broken only by the uneasy breathing of the players.

"What's going on..." Mochizuki Kaede gripped the hilt of her sword tightly.

"boom---"

The deafening roar made all the players turn their heads sharply, their gazes all fixed on the center of the arena. However, there was nothing there—only a bull's head relief carved on a dark blue stone slab, lying silently amidst the concentric circles of the slabs.

No... wait...

The stone slab moved.

The massive stone, carved with three concentric rings, began to slowly rotate, its speed increasing rapidly. Accompanied by a teeth-grinding grinding sound, these stone slabs, weighing several tons, rose layer by layer, eventually forming a massive three-tiered spiral staircase. The space above began to distort, the air like silk being crumpled by an invisible hand.

"Step back!" Mochizuki Kaede warned sharply, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.

The distorted space was suddenly torn apart, and a pitch-black figure descended from the sky. Its massive hooves, as thick as ancient trees, slammed heavily onto the ground, causing the entire arena to tremble. Its seven-meter-tall body was covered in chainmail that gleamed with an eerie light, its bare upper body bulging with muscles, and its curly black beard hanging down to its abdomen.

Most terrifying of all was the head with six enormous horns—the platinum crown in the center gleamed with a cold light amidst the lightning.

"roar---!!"

The monster's roar unleashed a visible sonic boom, forcing the players to cover their ears. Golden lightning bolts continuously struck around its dark body, illuminating the arena in a flickering light. Mochizuki Kaede looked up and saw six despairing HP bars near the ceiling:

King Asterius of Taurus

"What a joke..." Ya Wang looked on in surprise.

Agil's battle axe trembled slightly, but he quickly gripped it again: "This is... the real gatekeeper BOSS."

Kirito was the most shocked.

His dark pupils suddenly contracted.

This is completely beyond what we knew during the closed beta testing phase.

During the closed beta, the boss guarding the second floor was clearly only General Taurus. Just like the first floor, the boss battle after the official launch brought another unexpected change—like the kobold lord suddenly drawing his nodachi, what appeared before us now was an enemy far more terrifying than expected.

Diabel's sword gleamed once more: "Reorganize! This is not the end—"

Before the words were even finished, the appearance of the Taurus King had already thrown the entire raiding group into chaos. Players retreated in panic, the clanging of metal armor echoing everywhere. Some had trembling hands gripping their swords, while others were deathly pale. This was not only because of the monster before them, which was even more terrifying than the Taurus General, but also because the previous battle had exhausted most of their strength.

"Damn it..." Cold sweat beaded on Ya Wang's forehead. "How are we supposed to fight like this?"

Chapter Thirty-Two: Breakthrough

"We must retreat!" Kirito said through gritted teeth. Facing the Taurus King, who was far stronger than expected, the risk of continuing to fight was simply too great.

Diabel's hand gripping his sword bulged with veins as he surveyed the distance between the column and the exit—at least fifty meters, with collapsed stone pillars scattered along the way. If they were attacked during the retreat, they would likely be wiped out.

“I’ll draw the BOSS away,” Mochizuki Kaede suddenly said, his longsword already drawn. “You all take this opportunity to reorganize your formation and retreat.”

Asuna stepped forward without hesitation, her rapier gleaming coldly: "I'll go with you."

Before Diabel could stop them, the two had already rushed to the center of the field.

King Taurus slowly turned its body, while Mochizuki Kaede and Asuna moved like two swift shadows around it. The cold light of longswords and rapiers constantly sliced ​​through the BOSS's heavy armor, barely restraining its movements.

Suddenly, the lightning between the six giant horns of the Taurus King intensified, and its massive, seven-meter-tall body arched backward, almost forming a bow. Its powerful chest bulged dramatically like a wine barrel, and muscle fibers could be seen writhing beneath its dark fur. The platinum crown between its six horns began to vibrate at a high frequency, emitting a tremendous buzzing sound.

"boom--!"

A blinding bolt of lightning erupted, shooting straight at Asuna. The lightning moved much faster than expected, and although Asuna managed to dodge, she was still struck by the aftershock.

"Asuna, get out of the way!"

Just as the lightning breath was about to engulf Asuna, Mochizuki Kaede's figure appeared like a gust of wind. He suddenly wrapped his left arm around Asuna's slender waist, pulling her into his embrace, while his right hand held his longsword horizontally in front of him, attempting to block this fatal blow.

"boom--!"

Purple-white lightning crashed against the sword like a raging torrent, blinding electric snakes spreading along the blade to his entire body. Mochizuki felt his internal organs tremble; a violent numbness instantly stripped him of control. The two were thrown back by the violent impact, crashing heavily onto the hard stone slab.

Asuna was held tightly in Mochizuki Kaede's arms, but she was still struck by the aftershocks of the lightning. Her slender body trembled uncontrollably, and the [Paralysis] icon in her system status bar flashed incessantly. Mochizuki Kaede's condition was even worse; her health points were reduced by 20%, and all her muscles were spasming.

"Little... Maple..." Asuna moved her lips with difficulty, but couldn't utter a single complete syllable.

Mochizuki Kaede strained with all his might to turn his eyes and saw Asuna's trembling fingers trying to reach for the medicine pouch at her waist. He gritted his teeth and forced his equally numb arm to move little by little. Every inch of movement felt like tearing his muscles apart, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead.

Finally, their fingertips simultaneously hooked onto the potion bottle. They instinctively bit open the stopper, and the distinctive fragrance of the high-grade healing potion immediately filled the air. As the liquid entered their throats, a cool energy flowed through their bodies, and the numbing effect began to fade rapidly.

When Mochizuki Kaede sat up, the sight before him made his pupils shrink.

The Taurus King had closed to within ten steps. Even more alarming, half of the players within sight had been paralyzed by the Thunder Breath, including Diabel, who was kneeling on one knee.

"what to do……"

Asuna's voice trembled unusually.

Mochizuki Kaede watched as the Taurus King slowly approached.

—Is this the end?

Even if the outcome was predetermined, he would not give up the fight. With all his might, Mochizuki Kaede held the longsword horizontally in front of his chest.

"Hey there!"

A light, cheerful voice suddenly came from the side.

Mochizuki Kaede turned her head sharply and saw that the tile patterns on the mottled walls of the arena were twisted strangely, as if a crack had been torn open in space.

A petite figure leaped from the void and landed lightly on the ground. Her face was painted with her signature three mustaches, and her lively cat-like eyes gleamed in the dim light.

“The BOSS’s eyes will glow before it unleashes its Thunder Breath.” She spoke rapidly, her finger pointing precisely to the platinum crown on the Taurus King’s head. “Use the [Bison Horn] to stun it before the breath attack, then attack the crown—that’s its weak point!”

Mochizuki Maple did not hesitate for a moment.

His fingers reached to his waist, feeling the slight vibration of the horn as its cooldown timer ended. Without hesitation, he drew it out, and the runes on the black horn's surface lit up once more.

The Taurus King's demonic eye lit up, a harbinger of the thunderous breath!

Mochizuki Kaede pressed the horn to his lips, and the familiar horn sound once again echoed throughout the arena. The sound waves transformed into a golden halo, spreading outwards, and the Taurus King's movements instantly froze, his breathing abruptly ceasing.

"It's now!"

Asuna, who had been poised to strike, transformed into a streak of silver light and sped forward the instant the Taurus King froze. She leaped lightly, her rapier gleaming with unprecedented brilliance, the tip of which precisely pierced the center of the crown.

"boom--!"

With a deafening roar, the Taurus King staggered backward and finally fell heavily to the ground, shaking the entire Colosseum and causing stones to rain down from the vault.

The petite figure nimbly dodged the falling rocks and crouched on a broken stone pillar. Her cat-like eyes swept over Diabel and his group, who had just recovered from their paralysis, and a signature sly smile appeared on her lips.

“If you want to retreat, now is the best time~” She held up a finger and wagged it, “But if you decide to continue fighting… I can sell you detailed information about the BOSS. As for the price… this time it’s offered for free.”

……

The Taurus King slowly rose, his massive seven-meter-tall body swaying, an ominous red glow emanating from his platinum crown. But by then, the players had already regrouped and were rapidly adjusting their tactics based on the intelligence they had been given.

"Attention, everyone!" Diabel pointed his longsword directly at the BOSS. "Attack its weak points!"

The team immediately split into three groups and began operations:

On the left, Kirito's black figure moved like a ghost, his one-handed sword glowing with a deep blue light as he aimed and slashed repeatedly at King Taurus's left knee joint. On the right, Agil swung his battle axe, leading the players in a fierce chop at King Taurus's right leg, which was as thick as an ancient tree. In the center, King Ya led another group of players, moving nimbly and focusing their attacks on the tendons behind the knee.

The Taurus King roared in fury, his legs, as thick as ancient trees, trembling under the relentless attacks. But the players maintained their rhythm in perfect unison; whenever the BOSS was about to counterattack, one team would retreat in time, while another team would immediately follow up with another attack.

"Keep this pace!" Diabel shouted into the team, "Give the horn some time to cool down!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three consecutive earth-shaking stompes forced the frontal team to retreat. Just as the Taurus King's demonic eyes glowed and he looked up to unleash his Thunder Breath, the situation became clear.

"It's the breath of thunder! Disperse!"

The players quickly changed formations to dodge the breath attacks, and a new round of attack and defense began...

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Cloaked Man

Time passed by minute by minute.

An atmosphere of tension filled the arena.

King Taurus's HP is down to its last two bars, but the players' stamina is also nearing its limit, their potions are exhausted, and their armor durability is almost gone.

At this crucial moment—

The Taurus King suddenly roared to the sky, and the demonic eye between its six giant horns shone brightly once more. Its thick neck arched back, and its chest bulged high, marking the starting stance for [Breath of Thunder].

"It's now!"

A familiar vibration came from Mochizuki Maple's fingertips—the [Bison Horn] had finished cooling down. Without hesitation, he drew out the black horn, runes shimmering with dazzling golden light on its surface.

"Woo——"