I'm a Sword Master in Sword Art Online

"Don't panic! Don't panic!"

"I'm out of medicine!"

"Keep the formation!"

The room was in complete chaos.

“No…” Diabel’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

Just then, the BOSS's scorpion tail suddenly shot up, the purplish-gold tail like the Grim Reaper's scythe, piercing precisely through the back of a fleeing player. The moment the venomous pincers pierced through the chest, the person remained in a running posture, their legs still futilely kicking in the air.

The scorpion's tail thrashed wildly, and the player's body traced a gruesome arc in the air like a rag doll.

The next second, the scorpion's tail lashed out—

"boom!"

The player slammed heavily onto the ground in front of Diabel.

The metal armor shattered into countless points of light upon impact. The player lay on his back, his body beginning to digitize, only his distorted face remaining clearly visible. His wide eyes were frozen in pain, fear, disbelief, and a last glimmer of hope.

His lips trembled, uttering a barely audible sound:

"help me……"

Before the last syllable was fully uttered, his body shattered like broken glass, turning into countless blue data fragments that slowly rose before Diabel's boot tip and finally disappeared into the air.

This is the first time since the start of the SAO death game that a player has actually died in a floor boss battle.

Diabel felt as if all the blood in his body had frozen.

He could clearly hear the sounds of swallowing rising and falling behind him; some people were trembling, and others were shaking as they gripped their weapons. The screams of the player who had just died still echoed in his ears, and that face filled with fear and despair seemed to be branded onto everyone's retinas.

Chapter 91: Sneak Attack

With piercing eyes, Wang Yuefeng drew his sword without hesitation, and the Thunder Blade suddenly burst forth with dazzling lightning.

He led all the members of the Golden Rule towards the BOSS, Manticore.

Diabel reacted in that instant, his eyes widening with determination and anger, and he almost shouted at the top of his lungs:

"All personnel, attack!"

His hoarse roar made the armor vibrate.

Almost simultaneously, Kirito's longsword and Agil's battle axe swept past him from both sides, and the Dragon Knights' spear formation advanced like a forest.

Just as the BOSS's scorpion tail was about to pierce another player, Mochizuki Kaede's figure flashed into the battlefield like lightning.

He swung the Banner of Valor backhand and planted it heavily on the ground. The silver flagpole sank three inches into the metal floor, and the golden banner unfurled with a whoosh. A dazzling halo spread out like ripples, bathing the entire Golden Rule in a pale golden glow.

"clang--!"

Sparks flew as the lightning blade collided with the scorpion's tail, illuminating Wang Yuefeng's cold, handsome profile. His kneeling posture transmitted the impact to the ground, creating spiderweb-like cracks beneath his feet. The rescued player slumped to the ground, his pupils still trembling violently.

"Can you still move?"

Without turning his head, Mochizuki asked, his voice still clear amidst the clanging of metal. His blade was wrestling with the venomous pincers, the purplish-gold scorpion tail joints creaking under the strain.

"Ah... yes!"

"Find cover." Mochizuki Maple suddenly exerted his strength, the lightning from his Thunder Blade violently repelling the scorpion's tail. "Drink a healing potion."

As the player scrambled behind the stone pillar, Wang Yuefeng had already vanished. Only a few flickering arcs of electricity remained where he had stood, and he himself had appeared to the left of the BOSS, his lightning blade slashing towards the Lion Scorpion's knee joint with a piercing whooshing sound.

Just then, Asuna's elven sword attacked from the right, and the coordinated attack from the two caused the Lion Scorpion to roar in anger.

Silica's crescent moon drew a silver trajectory in the air, precisely striking the scorpion tail that was trying to ambush Mochizuki Kaede.

Yuna plays music to provide her teammates with a buff that increases their attack power.

Under the illumination of the [Banner of Valor], the entire battlefield began to form an orderly rhythm of offense and defense.

The rescued player clutched the potion bottle, gazing at the silver figures flashing around the BOSS. He opened his mouth to thank him again, but found his voice already drowned out by the deafening roar of battle. The boy who had saved him, however, had only the enemy's claws in his eyes.

What Mochizuki Kaede needs to do now is to draw the attention of the Manticore so that the injured members of the Aincrad Liberation Army can retreat to a safe distance and minimize the maximum casualties in this battle.

"Roar--!"

The lion scorpion was indeed thoroughly enraged, its face contorted into a ferocious expression, its blue vertical pupils locking onto Mochizuki Kaede.

The wounded members of the Aincrad Liberation Army took the opportunity to retreat, dragging their battered bodies.

Some people helped their injured companions, while others carried unconscious teammates on their backs, moving towards a safe area under the cover of Asuna and Silica.

"Dragon Knights! Assault formation!"

At Rinde's clear command, ten spears simultaneously unleashed their skill light. Sharp spear tips rained down on the manticore's joints, scattering dazzling sparks.

Kirito and Agil also used their weapon skills, their longswords and battle axes striking the lion scorpion.

Diabel's greatsword, accompanied by a whistling sound and dazzling swordplay effects, slammed heavily into the BOSS's forelimbs.

The lion scorpion was repeatedly defeated by the unexpected intruders, and its previously arrogant demeanor instantly diminished. The battle began to shift amidst this fierce exchange.

Time passed second by second, and the team's coordinated attack paid off. The BOSS, which originally had six health bars, now only had three left.

The lion scorpion roared again, its deafening roar seemingly piercing the dome of the room. Then, its massive bat wings, covered in golden patterns, suddenly unfurled, ancient, mysterious runes gleaming with a blinding golden light on the wing membranes.

"It's phase two! Everyone back off!" Diabel, keenly aware of the change in the situation, shouted the order.

However, several players didn't have time to retreat. With the violent flapping of the lion scorpion bat's wings, a powerful gust of air rapidly spread outwards from it. Those players were swept away by this sudden gust and knocked to the ground, utterly disheveled, nearly losing their lives to the violent force.

Using the power of its wings, the lion scorpion leaped into the air.

Strictly speaking, this is not true flight, but a jump achieved by flapping wings and powerful bouncing force.

Its purple claws, like giant swords, whistled through the air as they hurtled down from above the player's head, as if to tear anything in its path to shreds.

All players dodged in an orderly fashion.

"Spread out! Maintain formation!"

Mochizuki Kaede's instructions were clear and forceful.

The members of [Golden Rule] reacted immediately.

Asuna dodged the claw attack with a side somersault, and her Elf Sword slashed a wound on the Lion Scorpion's wrist. Silica's Crescent Moon precisely blocked the BOSS's blind spot, while Mochizuki Kaede used the momentum to leap up, leaving a charred gash on the Lion Scorpion's forelimb with her Thunder Blade.

However, just when everyone thought they had successfully thwarted the attack, the Lion Scorpion suddenly made a bizarre turn, its massive body soaring into the air once more. Its outstretched bat wings blocked out the light from the ceiling, instantly plunging the entire battlefield into a terrifying shadow.

"Second attack! Everyone take cover!"

Amidst the warning, a slender figure suddenly froze in place.

Yuna was completely absorbed, her fingertips gently plucking the strings. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her back, and a cold, numbing sensation instantly spread up her spine. Her pupils constricted sharply, and her playing stopped abruptly.

--This is……?

As she staggered and turned her head, she saw a purple-glowing throwing knife falling from her back, bouncing and rolling away on the metal floor.

The poisoned blade reflected a chilling purple light, the color unique to high-grade paralyzing toxins.

—A player's throwing knife? At a time like this?

Yuna's consciousness gradually blurred under the corrosive effects of the poison, but a terrifying thought grew clearer: the throwing knife had come from the direction of the players' camp. Who was it? At this critical moment, someone had stabbed her in the back?

"Woo..."

Suddenly losing all feeling in her legs, Yuna involuntarily collapsed to one knee. Her beloved lute slipped from her fingers, the strings striking the ground with a discordant, mournful sound, like a dying cry. She desperately tried to raise her head to warn her companions, but found even the tip of her tongue stiff and numb. At the edge of her vision, the [Paralysis Status] warning icon was flashing wildly, like a death knell.

Get moving... move faster...

The shadow of the lion scorpion descended like a curtain of death, and Yuna's upturned face was made pale by the cold light of its claws.

The purple claw tip magnified in her pupils.

—I will die.

This realization surfaced with crystal clarity in her fading consciousness. In her current paralyzed state, she couldn't even muster the most basic defensive stance. One strike would shatter her armor like paper, and her health would instantly drop to zero.

Then, just like the player who vanished before her, she turned into countless blue data fragments...

Chapter 92: Music

Yuna's love for music was like a seed buried deep in her heart, taking root and sprouting from a young age.

From a young age, she devoted herself to learning piano and classical guitar, her fingers dancing across the keys and leaping across the strings, each note imbued with her deep love for music. To her, music is magic that allows one to forget worldly troubles, sunshine that dispels gloom and brings endless joy.

In the early days of being trapped in SAO, she would spend her days curled up in the hotel of the starting town, hugging her knees and looking at the false starlight outside the window.

All around them was endless unknowns and dangers. The players' faces were etched with pain, confusion, and fear. Negative energy hung over everyone like a thick, dark cloud. But Yuna didn't wallow in despair for long. She thought of the power of music, the power to warm people's hearts.

So she would play the piano in the square. At first, not many people stopped to watch. But as the days went by, her audience gradually grew.

Some people would sit quietly beside her while she played, closing their eyes and listening intently to the beautiful melodies. Others would find their furrowed brows smoothing out and replaced by happy smiles because of her music. At that moment, Yuna felt that her efforts had been meaningful; music truly could alleviate people's suffering.

However, Yuna knew that this was far from enough.

While music can provide a temporary boost to people's spirits, if players are trapped in this deadly game forever, music can only offer temporary comfort and cannot fundamentally change the situation.

"Not enough," Yuna thought to herself, her eyes revealing determination and resolve. She knew that only by completing this game and freeing everyone from this endless fear could the true solution be found.

So, she resolutely embarked on her journey. She wanted to become stronger, strong enough to challenge all the difficulties in this death game, and then help those players who were still trapped in the safe zone, suffering agonizingly, to complete the game!

……

The sound of the Aegean hitting the ground was exceptionally crisp, its strings vibrating on the ground in their final, lingering resonance. Yuna felt the whole world spinning around her, and the lion scorpion's claws became a purple afterimage in her unfocused pupils.

The violent gust of wind blew off her white hat, and her brown hair was scattered in the strong wind, revealing the girl's pale and delicate face.

At this moment, Yuna's vision became incredibly blurry under the influence of the [Paralysis] state, as if the entire world was shrouded in a thick fog. She felt completely drained, as if her body no longer belonged to her.

The system warnings flashed frantically at the edge of her vision, but they were nothing compared to the stinging regret that welled up in her heart: she still had so much music left to play, and she dreamed of holding her own solo concert, standing on a brightly lit stage, making everyone cheer and be captivated by her music.

"Is this...the end of it...?"

Just when she thought she was about to be devoured by the lion scorpion's claws and plunged into endless darkness, she seemed to see a silver figure in her blurred vision.

She recognized that figure all too well; it was the student council president, Mochizuki Kaede.

The boy's silver hair fluttered like a flag in the raging air currents, and the lightning blade, trailing blinding lightning, slashed through the shadow of death.

She felt herself fall into a warm embrace, enveloped by the faint aura of steel and thunder emanating from the president's uniform. Mochizuki Kaede's left arm steadily supported her limp body, while his right hand's thunder blade clashed with the lion scorpion's claws. Sparks from the metal-on-metal collision flew before her eyes like stars, illuminating the president's tense profile.

"hold onto."

The three words pierced through the numbing fog and reached my ears.

Immediately afterwards, Asuna's shout pierced the air—

"Yuna!"

The sound of the elven sword cutting through the wind followed closely behind, and the emerald green trajectory of the sword technique drew a sharp arc in Yuna's blurred vision.

Silica's voice followed closely, filled with barely concealed panic—

"Sister Yuna!"

The buzzing sound of the rapidly spinning moon wheel grew louder as it approached. The silver halo precisely intercepted the lion scorpion's tail, which it was trying to pursue, and sparks flew as the metal collided.

The surrounding sounds gradually became clearer: the system sound effects when sword skills were activated, the footsteps of the players, the whistling of weapons cutting through the air, and Diabel's shouts of command from afar.

"Don't give it a chance to breathe! Suppress it!"

"Fill the gap on the left!"

Yuna's lips suddenly touched the cool glass bottle opening, and the slightly cool antidote slid down her throat. The [Paralysis] icon in her system status bar began to flash and fade. She swallowed instinctively, feeling the cool liquid flow through her body, and her stiff fingertips finally curled slightly.

Mochizuki Kaede's arm remained firmly supporting her, without the slightest wavering. The warmth emanating from her uniform reminded Yuna of the warm, large hand her father would place on her shoulder when she practiced piano late into the night as a child.

"call--"

She took a deep breath, fighting off the lingering stiffness. Her blurry vision gradually cleared, and the first thing she saw was Mochizuki Kaede's silver bangs, stained with battle dust, and the crackling electricity on the lightning blade in his hand. In the distance, Asuna's swordplay drew emerald trajectories in the air, while Silica's Crescent Moon Wheel hummed as it flew back to its master's hand.

Mochizuki Kaede bent down to pick up the lute and white hat from the ground and gently handed them back to Yuna.

"Can you still fight?"

His voice was soft, yet it carried an undeniable trust.

Yuna gripped the violin neck and put the white hat back on her head.

"Ok!"