After Seiya and Kayaba split, Seiya jumped onto the head of the Golden Dragon and started a hit-and-run strategy. The Golden Dragon could fly and was quite agile in the air due to its skill with wind. It could dodge Kayaba's various ranged attacks with nimble movements.
However, after watching one of his ten HP bars slowly get chipped away by Seiya's "annoying" tactics, Kayaba decided he wouldn't hold back anymore. His previous attacks had mostly been close-range, but now he was ready to use a skill. A scarlet light burst from his scythe, and a blade-like crescent, resembling a crimson blood moon, shot toward Seiya, who was still playing "dragon rider" in the sky. The blade grew larger as it flew, reaching a monstrous size of tens of meters when it approached Seiya. With such a huge area of effect, the equally large Golden Dragon couldn't dodge. Seiya had no choice but to jump off the dragon and watch as the blade cut the Golden Dragon in half, turning it into a pile of data fragments.
There was nothing else he could have done. He couldn't use Weapon Parry because it had a cooldown. And using another skill to take the hit would have been a guaranteed death, given the level and stat difference. In the real world, a shikigami could be restored and summoned again by consuming spiritual energy, but in SAO, if a pet dies, it's gone for good. But unlike Silica, who only had her little dragon, Pina, Seiya had plenty of other helpers.
"Shikigami Summon: Azure Dragon—Fire Tiger!"
"Shikigami Summon: Vermillion Bird—Solar Horse!"
"Shikigami Summon: White Tiger—Wood Wolf!"
"Shikigami Summon: Black Tortoise—Fire Pig!"
As four ritual arrays unfolded before Seiya, a striped fire tiger, a majestic white horse, a black wolf radiating with life, and a wild boar with fiery fangs all appeared. The moment they were summoned, Kayaba's screen was filled with their data. As expected, these new creatures were also part of the Twenty-Eight Mansions.
As soon as the four constellations appeared, Seiya mounted the Solar Horse.
"Howl!"
With a loud howl from the Wood Wolf, the ground burst with life. Vines and branches grew at a visible rate, completely binding Kayaba.
(I know a lot of people will complain that there's no magic in SAO, and I know that, but pets and monsters have their own abilities. The ice dragon on the 55th floor spewed ice, the demon on the 74th floor breathed fire, and Silica's dragon could heal. So, while the SAO setting says there's no magic, there are actually magical elements in the game.)
As Kayaba's body was tangled in vines, the Fire Tiger and the Fire Pig roared and radiated incredible heat. They charged at him with extreme speed. Since his body was bound, Kayaba couldn't dodge the Fire Tiger's claw attack or the Fire Pig's wild charge, and he took full damage. And because of the flames surrounding them, the plants on Kayaba's body were also set on fire, causing him to take secondary burn damage. However, even after this combination, only one of his ten HP bars was depleted.
"Death Scythe—!"
As the plants on his body burned away, Kayaba regained his mobility and used another skill. He swung his scythe into the air, and its blade disappeared into the space before him. When the blade reappeared, it was at the neck of the Wood Wolf, which was at the back of the group. With one hit, the Wood Wolf followed the Golden Dragon, turning into data fragments.
After getting rid of the most annoying control in Seiya's group, Kayaba looked at the Fire Pig, which was still charging at him, and simply picked it up with one hand. But just as he was about to crush it, the hot-tempered Fire Pig chose to self-destruct. A terrifying heat spread, and a huge fireball with a diameter of tens of meters was formed, completely engulfing Kayaba.
A moment later, a scythe emerged from the flames and easily tore the fireball apart. The Fire Pig's self-destruction had indeed damaged Kayaba, but the damage was very limited and not enough to kill him.
"Wenren Sword Style, Type Three—Breaking Army!"
As Kayaba tore through the flames, Seiya, riding the Solar Horse, charged toward him. Using the scythe as a springboard, he leaped and slashed at Kayaba's head! His single-handed sword glowed as he used his sword skill, and because it was a critical hit to the head, Seiya dealt a ton of damage.
After his leap, Seiya landed quickly. Kayaba, whose HP was slightly depleted, was about to take his chance and kill Seiya. But at that same moment, the Fire Tiger and Solar Horse leaped and disrupted Kayaba's attack rhythm.
As Kayaba used a scythe cross-slash to get rid of the Fire Tiger and Solar Horse, Seiya had already landed and was moving at high speed while making hand seals.
"Shikigami Summon: Azure Dragon—Wood Dragon!"
"Shikigami Summon: Azure Dragon—Moon Fox!"
"Shikigami Summon: White Tiger—Sun Rooster!"
"Shikigami Summon: White Tiger—Moon Crow!"
"Shikigami Summon: Vermillion Bird—Golden Ram!"
"Shikigami Summon: Vermillion Bird—Fire Serpent!"
"Shikigami Summon: Black Tortoise—Sun Rat!"
"Shikigami Summon: Black Tortoise—Golden Ox!"
When Kayaba killed the Fire Tiger and Solar Horse and saw the new wave of constellations that Seiya had summoned, he was completely dumbfounded. He even thought that his decision to seal his own powerful abilities, like Resurrection, might have been a bit too rash after all.