In a game world as lawless as this, it was only natural for a beautiful girl like Asuna, who was all alone and without support, to learn how to protect herself and be wary of others.
However, over the past two days, Seiya and Kirito had managed to earn her trust through their actions.
And in just those two days, Asuna felt she had grown more than she had in an entire month on her own.
Now that she had gained some strength to defend herself, and with two even stronger teammates by her side, the need to continue pretending was no longer necessary.
When Diavel saw Asuna, he was clearly impressed by her beauty. But noticing her standing next to Seiya, he simply returned a smile without saying more.
Meanwhile, the ever "average-looking" Kirito was once again completely ignored, making him grumble unhappily.
"If looks could kill, I think I'd have been murdered hundreds of times by now.
One is an extremely rare beauty in the game, the other is the famous 'Saint.'
Everyone must be wondering why an ordinary guy like me is allowed to tag along in this party."
Hearing Kirito's complaint, Seiya swept his eyes around the room and smirked, patting Kirito's shoulder.
"Well, that's not entirely true. It's not like nobody's paying attention to you. Isn't someone over there staring at you nonstop?"
Kirito's face lit up with anticipation—only for it to immediately fall flat when he saw who it was.
The one glaring at him was none other than the same player who had stirred up conflict a few days ago—Kibaou.
Logically speaking, it was Seiya who had humiliated Kibaou back then. Even if Kibaou wanted revenge, he should be glaring at Seiya, not him.
Why Kibaou fixated on him instead was beyond reason. To Seiya, this probably had to be what people called "true love."
Once the raiding party had fully assembled, Diavel quickly led them toward the Boss room with impressive speed.
The players present were all relatively high-level veterans, and Diavel's commands were indeed accurate and effective.
Thus, it took them less than an hour to reach the Boss room.
The near-unscathed battles along the way greatly boosted morale, and Diavel's prestige rose even higher.
The first floor's Boss was the Kobold Lord, Illfang. A massive beast standing two to three meters tall, armed with a bone axe and a small leather shield, its health bar stretched across four full gauges.
By its side were three elite monsters—Ruin Kobold Sentinels clad in heavy armor and wielding halberds.
Though only elites, their stats were nearly on par with field Bosses, being part of a floor Boss encounter.
Diavel split the raiding party into two groups: one to handle Illfang, the other to take on the Sentinels.
Those fighting the Sentinels were further divided into three squads. Seiya's group was assigned to one of them.
Diavel's plan was clear—if he wanted to gain renown, he had to be the one to face Illfang himself. Being a beta tester, he also knew of the "Last Attack" bonus reward mechanic.
If the celebrated "Saint" Seiya were to defeat Illfang instead, Diavel's position as leader would become rather awkward.
That was why Seiya's group had been sent to deal with the Sentinels.
The Sentinels, with far less HP than Illfang, were quickly slain under the group's assault.
According to the beta test info, once Illfang's HP hit critical levels, it would discard its axe and shield and draw a scimitar.
Sure enough, when the moment came, Illfang tossed aside its weapons. Diavel immediately ordered the others to fall back, charging forward alone with his weapon raised.
"So, he really didn't gather this raid just for prestige—he's also after that bonus reward."
Seeing him wave others back to solo the Boss at low HP, most players probably didn't realize what Diavel was truly after.
But for Seiya and the others, who had fought field Bosses before, his intent was as clear as day.
"Seiya, something's wrong! That's not the scimitar from the beta—it's a nodachi!
Stop him now or Diavel's going to die!"
As a beta tester, Kirito knew Illfang was supposed to use a scimitar in its final phase.
But seeing the nodachi proved what Seiya had suspected all along—the Boss's mechanics had changed!
The reach of a nodachi was vastly different from a scimitar's. If Diavel fought as he did in the beta, he'd be finished.
Kirito tried to rush in and warn him, but Illfang suddenly summoned three more Sentinels, blocking his way.
Seiya, standing closer to Diavel, was the only one who could still intervene.
"Tch, you really can't help meddling, can you?"
Truthfully, Seiya didn't care much for Diavel. The guy was ambitious and reckless—if he died, it would've been his own fault.
Had Kirito not shouted so loudly, Seiya would've likely stayed out of it.
But to ignore the call now would ruin the image he was building in SAO. He had plans to start a merchant guild later, and letting someone die before his eyes would harm his reputation.
The enraged Illfang moved with terrifying speed, far quicker than before, its attack patterns entirely different from the beta.
It leapt high into the air, dodging Diavel's strike, then kicked off a nearby pillar, bringing its nodachi crashing down.
The blow sent Diavel flying, his HP bar nearly depleted. Illfang landed with crushing force, the ground cracking beneath it, ready to deliver a killing strike.
At the very last moment, a figure dashed between them.
"Weapon Block!"
Steel clashed violently as Seiya's Windflower Sword intercepted the nodachi, sparks erupting in every direction.
The impact blasted Seiya backward, but he managed to grab Diavel with his free hand and fling him toward Kibaou's direction.
Diavel's HP was already on the verge of collapse—just the shockwave damage from the clash could've been enough to kill him.
"Asuna! Switch!"
(End of Chapter)
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