Chapter 103: Level One, Cleared

The BOSS, having suffered a series of attacks, suddenly let out an angry roar. A wave of grayish-white air surged out from its body, not only shattering the white frost upon it but also forcing Lingyun and the others to retreat repeatedly.

After forcing Lingyun and the others back, the BOSS locked its target directly onto Alice and Lingqi. In its perception, these two, who possessed control skills, were its greatest threats at the moment. The BOSS took long strides and charged directly toward the two of them.

"Naive!" Busujima Saeko's body flickered, and she appeared directly in front of the BOSS. The Samurai Sword in her hand was wreathed in wisps of blood-red mist, landing continuous slashes upon the BOSS.

The BOSS let out a wild roar, raising its Nodachi high. Wisps of grayish-white light began to flicker; it was clearly intending to use a powerful Sword Skill to blast Busujima Saeko away.

As the BOSS's Nodachi swung down, Lingyun had already flashed in front of the BOSS. The Long sword in his hand glowed with golden light, clashing heavily against the BOSS's Nodachi. With a "Clang," Lingyun's body was pushed back several steps by the immense recoil, and the BOSS's massive frame also tilted backward.

The BOSS shook its body violently, trying to regain its balance, but Luo Yexi had already rushed in front of it. Her sword glowed with red light as she swiftly thrust several times, each strike hitting a different part of the BOSS. The BOSS's body swayed as if it were drunk; it wanted to counterattack but could find no leverage to swing its blade.

After this world became a Semi-plane, the monsters became more realistic, which truly caused quite a bit of trouble for many players, but there were also aspects favorable to Lingyun and his group, and sense of balance was one of them. Every one of Luo Yexi's attacks subtly destroyed the BOSS's balance point, keeping the BOSS in a state of imbalance and unable to counterattack. Coupled with the interference from Alice and Lingqi in the rear, the BOSS had absolutely no power to fight back under Luo Yexi's assault.

Suddenly, a wave of grayish-white air currents spread outward from the BOSS. Luo Yexi's expression shifted slightly, and she retreated rapidly. Lingqi's bullets and Alice's Magic were both shredded by the air currents. It was the BOSS repeating its old trick, using the power of the Underworld King on its body to force back those surrounding it, taking advantage of the time Lingyun and the others retreated to regain its balance.

After regaining its balance, grayish-white light once again flickered on the BOSS's weapon, but this time it had learned its lesson; the weapon in its hand slashed directly at the weakest person present, Kirigaya Suguha. Kirigaya Suguha's expression changed slightly, and she wanted to dodge the BOSS's attack, but she discovered that wisps of grayish-white air had wrapped around her feet at some point, preventing her from moving. With no other choice, she had to swing the Samurai Sword in her hand with all her might, attempting to negate a portion of the damage from the BOSS's attack.

Kirito had just knocked back a skeleton guard minion when she looked back and happened to see the scene of Kirigaya Suguha intending to clash head-on with the BOSS's Sword Skill. She couldn't help but be shocked: "Suguha, danger!"

A cruel smile appeared on the BOSS's face, and the Nodachi in its hand was already close to Kirigaya Suguha's Samurai Sword. At this moment, Luo Yexi and Busujima Saeko appeared on the left and right of Kirigaya Suguha, their weapons wreathed in different lights, simultaneously slashing at the BOSS's weapon. The speeds of their three weapons were all different, yet they strangely clashed against the BOSS's Nodachi at the exact same time.

The BOSS's body swayed, actually shaken by the immense force. In contrast, Luo Yexi and the others didn't even sway, and the HP Slots above their heads did not decrease at all.

"How is that possible?" Kirito's expression couldn't help but change.

Lingyun let out an angry shout, and light once again flickered on the Long sword in his hand, though this time it was a silver light. With a dash, he rushed in front of the BOSS. The Long sword in Lingyun's hand transformed into a streak of light, actually forcing the BOSS's Nodachi aside. After deflecting the BOSS's weapon, Lingyun's second wave of attacks arrived. The Long sword in his hand turned into a blur, continuously cutting into the BOSS's body. In just a few breaths, Lingyun landed ten attacks in a row. The BOSS's HP Slot, which had already been depleted by nearly two-thirds, poured out like a burst dam until it hit the bottom.

After landing ten attacks, Lingyun did not pause at all and leaped backward. At his side, Luo Yexi and Busujima Saeko appeared simultaneously, their sword and blade carving a massive, intersecting wound into the BOSS.

"What on earth is going on?" Kirito watched this scene, somewhat dumbfounded. It was common knowledge that in this world, when light appeared on a weapon, it meant a Sword Skill was being used. However, after using a Sword Skill, a player's body would enter a period of stiffness, and the light on the weapon would vanish. Yet, looking at Lingyun and the others, the light on their weapons had never disappeared from the start, and their bodies had never entered a state of stiffness.

"Could it be that they haven't been using Sword Skills from the beginning?" An absurd thought suddenly popped into Kirito's mind. Although this thought sounded very absurd, it took deep root in Kirito's heart.

After tearing a massive wound into the BOSS, Luo Yexi and the other did not get greedy for merit and flew backward, causing the BOSS's attack against them to miss.

The moment the BOSS entered stiffness after using a Sword Skill, Lingyun surged toward the BOSS again, a series of attacks slamming into the BOSS one after another. Suguha followed closely by Lingyun's side, advancing and retreating with him; this was the tacit understanding she had cultivated by Busujima Saeko's side over the past month.

Whenever the BOSS activated a Sword Skill, Luo Yexi and Busujima Saeko would step forward to block. Their coordination was almost seamless; both weapons would clash against the BOSS's Nodachi at the exact same time, causing their attacks to be counted as a single effective strike, forcibly negating the BOSS's Sword Skill.

"Saeko, when did you two practice this kind of combined attack?" Lingyun asked with some curiosity.

"Of course, we practiced it in Tokonosumishi!" A mysterious smile appeared on Busujima Saeko's face.

"Tokonosumishi?" Lingyun muttered, feeling somewhat strange.

In the rear, Alice and Lingqi saw that the BOSS had been restrained by Lingyun and the others, so they abandoned their restraining methods and switched to full-power output. Their roles in the team were defined as firepower output, and with full firepower, the BOSS's HP dropped in chunks.

Soon, the BOSS's fourth HP Slot dropped into the red zone again. The BOSS forced Luo Yexi and the other back with a slash and let out a roar toward the sky. Following this roar, the six guard minions seemed to receive some kind of signal and gathered rapidly toward the BOSS's direction.

"Quick, stop them!" Diabel shouted loudly.

The others also knew that the BOSS raid had reached the final moment and used all their strength to block the six guard minions. Under the all-out attacks of the many players, the six guard minions had their HP Slots cleared one by one, turning into fragments that filled the sky.

Failing to summon its underlings, a flash of violence crossed the BOSS's eyes. It held its Nodachi high, ignoring the attacks Lingyun and the others were landing on it, as wisps of blood-red light began to flicker on the blade. Luo Yexi and the others exchanged glances, the light on their weapons flaring brightly; it was clear they intended to take the BOSS's attack head-on.

"Roar!" The BOSS's Nodachi slashed down heavily.

Luo Yexi, Busujima Saeko, and Kirigaya Suguha exchanged glances, their weapons simultaneously meeting the BOSS's Nodachi.

The four weapons clashed heavily, stirring up a violent wave of air. Luo Yexi and the others retreated repeatedly, the HP Slots above their heads dropping directly into the yellow zone. The BOSS's Nodachi also bounced upward due to the recoil, revealing a massive opening. Alice and Lingqi's attacks followed, shaving off another small portion of the BOSS's HP Slot.

Just as the BOSS had steadied its body, Lingyun appeared quietly before it. Golden light flickered on the Long sword in his hand as he swung it heavily toward the BOSS. A streak of Sword Qi detached from his Long sword and slammed heavily into the BOSS. The BOSS's body froze instantly, a massive wound bloomed across it, and the HP Slot above its head was cleared in an instant.

Amidst a burst of intense white light, the BOSS shattered into fragments that filled the sky. After the fragments vanished completely, a window suddenly popped up in the Void, displaying: "Congratulations on clearing!"

One month after this world transformed into a Semi-plane, the first floor of Aincrad, cleared!