Chapter 122: Eruption!

"Get out of the way!" The sixth sense honed by countless life-or-death battles screamed at Lance that the boss was brewing something, and his intuition told him it was aimed precisely at Silica, who was hiding at the very back. But just as he shouted his warning, the boss launched its attack.

The colossal skeleton opened its massive maw and lunged, swallowing Silica in a single bite.

Asuna, who had been standing in front of Silica, was caught in the aftermath as well. The skeletal monster gulped them both down, and immediately afterward, a massive countdown timer appeared on the ceiling of the hall.

"What is that?" Countless people gasped. Although Lance didn't know the specifics, he saw Asuna and Silica encased in a transparent sphere, and his intuition told him that the countdown was inextricably linked to the two girls inside.

"You have angered me!" At this moment, under the combined assault of the other players, the boss's HP finally dropped into its final bar. Lance, who had been on the front lines wielding his scythe, stopped abruptly.

*This is...* Although Kayaba had added many special skills to the game, this one was randomly assigned based on his original settings. He hadn't expected this skill to manifest in Lance; in his pursuit of amusement, he hadn't bothered to track who possessed which special abilities.

The skill itself seemed rather sinister. Its prerequisite—"the player who has killed the most humanoid monsters in the game"—wasn't particularly exclusive, making it plausible for it to appear among second-tier players or even members of murder guilds.

When he saw it trigger on Lance, he realized it instantly. Because he had programmed the combat AI of humanoid monsters to be more advanced yet more fragile for the sake of realism, it was natural that Lance, who frequently engaged in such combat, would be the one to trigger it.

He had based the skill on the "Fallen Angel" of Western mythology. Once activated, all of the player's attacks would gain the "Dark" attribute and receive a damage bonus against humanoid monsters. However, the cost was a unique bug: the player could damage other players even without PK mode enabled—essentially, the ability to kill within safe zones.

Fortunately, Lance wasn't a murderer. When the ability was randomly assigned to him, he had been quite bewildered. Later, when he accidentally asked Kayaba about it, the answer had left him speechless. Given their guild's strength, they rarely needed to use such a skill, and during boss raids, Lance couldn't bring himself to use it on the bosses while the clearing group was already doing so much damage. But the creature before him had truly crossed the line. He had harbored a bit of resentment toward Kayaba, but upon realizing this wasn't part of his design, he poured all his frustration into the monster before him.

"I didn't want to use this..." Lance murmured. Kayaba, the creator of the game, instantly felt something in Lance's hand that did not belong in this world.

"Roar!" As soon as Lance drew his short sword, he felt a chill. The boss, though a data-constructed entity without true intellect, was modeled after a beast. The scent of wild beasts lingering on the dagger terrified it. Had its sole purpose for existence not been to win this battle, it would have fled immediately. Instead, it roared defiantly at Lance to bolster its own courage.

Everyone stared in disbelief at the two figures in the center of the battlefield.

"Scatter!" Although Kayaba could ensure these players would respawn even if killed, Lance was clearly enraged, and there was no telling how many would be caught in the crossfire.

"Should I congratulate you?" Lance pointed his drawn short sword toward the roaring boss. Everyone watched in confusion; while they understood Lance might do anything in his current state of rage, they were puzzled by his words.

"As the first victim of this weapon, I shall show mercy by turning you into calcium and phosphorus." No sooner had Lance finished speaking than he charged, his blade aimed at the creature's skull. Despite its fear, the boss's pride as a guardian drove it to meet the attack with its massive bone claws.

*Crack!* The sound of breaking bone should have been grating, but at that moment, it sounded like music to everyone's ears.

Beyond a few combat techniques he had learned, Lance’s sword skills were inherited from his time with King Arthur. His style was broad and sweeping, each attack followed by a relentless, storm-like barrage that left his opponent no time to react.

"Die!" The creature's body was hard, but the weapon striking it wasn't some five-Joule rusted iron sword; it was the sidearm of the man known as the "God-Slayer." The boss could not counterattack; even when it tried to defend, its body couldn't withstand a single blow. It was quickly dismantled by Lance.

"Roar!" With a cry of frustration, the final boss crumbled into a pile of bone fragments under the stunned gaze of the crowd.

"Lance!" Both girls cried out. Though Lance caught them as they were freed from the monster, the sudden impact made him stagger. He could only pat the two girls on the back, ignoring the envious and jealous glares of the "FFF" brotherhood members.

Those who had been watching Lance closely—like Kirito—were taken aback. Lance’s HP had barely fluctuated during the boss fight, staying well above the safety line. Kirito had even begun to doubt him, but after the impact with the two girls, Lance’s HP had plummeted well below the safety line. Kirito could only cover his face in resignation.

"How could I have doubted this idiot?" Kirito thought with a self-deprecating smile. Everyone else was overjoyed; the 75th floor, the so-called "Death Trial," had been cleared. Yet, they overlooked someone who had been silent from the very beginning.

*Clap, clap.* A round of applause drew everyone's attention back to the peculiarity of this raid—especially with the figure known as the "Final Boss" still hovering above.

"A very fine performance. I am pleased. As a reward for your entertainment, I shall give you a chance. Do you see..." As he spoke, the orbs of light stopped their erratic movement and hovered slowly before the crowd.

Only then did everyone notice these things that hadn't been there before.

"What exactly are these?" As the first person asked, everyone turned their confused gazes toward the cloaked "Kayaba" above.

"Haven't you noticed yet?" At Kayaba's words, they looked closer and realized that these orbs of light contained the members who had fallen during the raid.

"Let's play a game." Even with his cloak and hood, they could imagine the smile on his face.