The corpses turned into dust and dissipated.
"Hiss!"
"Just one hit?"
"They were all elite players!"
Everyone was terrified.
"Holy Shield!"
At the critical moment, Heathcliff stepped forward, successfully blocking the BOSS's skeletal arm blade attack with his large shield.
"Starburst Stream!"
Kirito unleashed both swords, using his unique Two-Sword Style skill.
After a rapid series of slashes, he successfully dealt a certain amount of damage to the BOSS.
The two of them stepping forward immediately earned cheers from the players.
"As expected of the Guild Leader!"
"And Kirito with the Two-Sword Style, so amazing!"
The crowd regained their morale and began a strong counterattack against the BOSS.
Tenya didn't slack off, leading Asuna and others to attack from the flank, continuously dealing damage.
More and more elite players were eliminated.
"The BOSS is in the red!"
"Everyone, hold on a little longer!!"
Kirito bravely charged to the front, stealing the spotlight.
"Just like this, finish it off in one go!"
Heathcliff remained calm and collected, his health always staying above 70%.
After paying a heavy price in casualties, the final BOSS was defeated.
"Is it finally over?"
Silica couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief.
"No, the real BOSS raid has only just begun!"
Tenya locked onto Heathcliff and launched an attack without any warning.
...
After the BOSS battle, the players all felt exhausted.
"14 people died…"
"You're kidding, right?"
"We are all… elite players!"
"And there are still… 25 floors left!"
"Can we really reach the top…?"
The players were disheartened.
"Please cheer up, everyone!"
"After this battle, I believe everyone has seen it."
"I am strong, and our Guild Leader is even stronger!"
"As long as we follow in the footsteps of the Knights of the Blood, we will have no enemies ahead!!!"
Kirito loudly encouraged the crowd and then proposed that players from other guilds join the Knights of the Blood.
The crowd exchanged glances, feeling that the Knights of the Blood's move to absorb other guilds was quite inappropriate.
However, they had to admit that Kirito and Heathcliff's strength far surpassed that of other players and would undoubtedly be the core of future clearings.
Thinking about it that way, perhaps it wasn't impossible for them to join the Knights of the Blood?
Heathcliff quietly observed the actions of the other players, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips, as if he was looking at his beloved toys.
Suddenly, without any warning, a black blade pierced towards Heathcliff's body from behind.
"Hmm?!"
Heathcliff's sensed it, but it was already too late to dodge.
Bang!
A purple barrier blocked the blade's attack.
At the same time, a system pop-up appeared above Heathcliff's head — Indestructible Object!
"Playing the game with cheats, don't you find it boring?"
Tenya seemed to have expected this long ago and put away his sword expressionlessly.
"Ah?!"
"W-What's going on?"
Faced with Tenya's sudden attack, everyone was stunned.
But what shocked them even more was the system-level cursor that appeared above the Guild Leader's head.
"Damn it..."
"Has it been exposed?"
Kirito's face instantly changed drastically. Clearly, he knew Heathcliff's true identity.
"System-level immortal attribute..."
"Indeed, Tenya-kun's guess wasn't wrong."
Asuna's expression was solemn.
"I knew it, this guy's health never dropped below 70%. He's definitely cheating."
Mito also noticed the details.
"In other words..."
"He is the final BOSS!"
Silica finally reacted at this moment.
"Heathcliff?"
"No, you should be called Akihiko Kayaba now."
Tenya revealed the other party's true identity in one sentence.
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire hall was shocked.
"W-What?!"
"Kayaba?"
"It's actually that heinous bastard?"
The crowd immediately became indignant.
"Tenya..."
"You really are different from the others."
"When did you find out?"
Kayaba didn't deny it, but instead asked curiously.
"Isn't that obvious?"
"Compared to watching others play an RPG game, entering the game yourself and playing as a player is more likely to bring a sense of satisfaction, right?"
Tenya's explanation was spot on.
"Indeed."
"According to the original script, I would be on the hundredth floor, as the final BOSS, accepting your challenge."
Kayaba said with a smile.
"How twisted! The true identity of the strongest player is actually the strongest BOSS!" Asuna said coldly.
"Damn it!"
"Our loyalty and hope..."
"You actually..!"
The players present were enraged, their anger levels maxed out.
One of the players raised an axe and slashed at Kayaba.
A sword through the heart.
"Stop getting in the way, fodder!"
The attacker was none other than Kirito.
"Vice-Commander Kirito?"
"Could it be that you were in league with Kayaba from the start?"
The crowd became furious.
"Have you only just realized?"
"What a bunch of foolish humans!"
Kirito mocked everyone wantonly, then raised his other sword and said proudly, "Let me tell you, the Two-Sword Style unique skill was given by the Aincrad system to the player with the fastest reaction speed."
"In other words, I am the strongest in this world."
Kirito flaunted his power, fully displaying his sense of superiority.
"This ridiculous performance, let's end it here. Tomoya."
Tenya's words struck straight to the heart.
"What did you say?"
"Looking at me now, you still dare to look down on me like this?"
Kirito glared at him with a ferocious look.
"Trash is trash."
"Even with a god-tier account, you're still trash."
Tenya was full of mockery. He hadn't even looked the other party in the eye from beginning to end.
***
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