Chapter 423 - 419 ~ Meier the Marionette

"Everyone. It is time."

A heavy, solemn voice echoed from within a ruined cathedral.

White and gold beams light shone through the ruined high ceilings and broken glass, illuminating the silver-haired man who stood upon the dais in front of the 47 elite players before him.

Standing at the very front and to his right was Yulier, representative of the Aincrad Liberation Force and the one who would be leading the tank and auxiliary party that would deal with the mid-boss, Meier the Marionette.

To the left was Diavel, guild leader of the Divine Dragon Alliance and lead tank of the tank and auxiliary party that would deal with Orchis, The Thread of Death.

And right before him, standing at the center was Godfree, sub-leader of the Knights of Blood’s team A, and the who would be acting as Heathcliff’s second in command over the two tank parties and one auxiliary party that would deal with the floor boss, Walad the Wormy Puppetteer, while Heathcliff, himself, acted as the main tank and commander of the entire raid party.

Standing next to Godfree was Klein and two of the Fuurinkazan members. He would be leading the auxiliary party aiding Heathcliff and Godfree’s tank parties. While the rest of the Fuurinkazan members were divided amongst the other parties

Finally, standing at the very back, was Yuuji, leading the party of elite DPS players whose sole purpose was to kill the bosses as quickly as possible. By his side was Asuna and Kirito, the two highest-leveled players in the party after Yuuji, while the three other players stood behind them.

The strategy they devised for the floor bosses required a great amount of coordination between the parties in each group as well as other groups in the raid.

And not only during the boss-fight, but while traversing the labyrinthian ruined city as well.

The structure of their parties were built for their strategy against the floor-bosses. They’ve traded damage for survivability, leaving most of the parties with lesser DPS potential compared to a regular, well-rounded party formation except for Yuuji’s party.

This made traversing through the ruined city and eliminating the mob monsters quickly and stealthily as to not alert the floor boss and mid-bosses much more challenging.

However, their skills and past experiences of fighting alongside each other made up for this drawback.

Although they were forced to be more careful, the raid party of 48 players was able to traverse through the city and eliminate the mob monsters safely, without incurring any major damage.

Now, they’ve reached the cathedral, the final stopping point within the abandoned city before they face the floor boss at the city center.

A heavy silence filled the nave of the cathedral. Like the calm before a heavy, torrential storm.

Every single one of them could feel the air of a decisive battle approaching. But none doubt their victory.

This raid party consisted of the top players in all of Aincrad. Moreover, the strongest shield and the strongest sword were also here with them.

All they needed to do was focus on their duties and their survival.

The strongest shield will keep them protected, while the strongest sword will cleave all obstacles apart.

It was the confidence they’ve built upon many battles together. They’ve all seen what Yuuji and Heathcliff could and had done. They’ve all seen them defeat Floor Bosses.

This time, it would be no different.

Heathcliff swept his gaze across the raid party, meeting each and every one of their gaze.

Determination. Focus. Excitement. Caution. Vigilance. He could see a myriad of emotion in their eyes. But none showed fear or cowardice.

Then, his gaze reached Yuuji.

The white and red hood of his cloak still hid his visage. But Heathcliff could tell from his figure alone. This battle was a foregone conclusion to him.

Heathcliff lowered his head in a slight nod, and Yuuji responded in kind.

"Group leaders. Set time to 15 minutes."

Heathcliff addressed Diavel, Yulier, and Yuuji, the three sub-leaders that would lead their own group of parties.

"Synchronize. 3, 2, 1... mark."

The four set their timer with his mark, and a small timer UI appeared at the corner of their HUDs. A countdown starting at 15 minutes.

"Then, let’s go. Move out."

The raid party moved in practiced order.

Diavel and his group exited the cathedral first, cautiously, and turned, making his way to the eastern area of the city, the spawn point of Orchis.

Yulier led her group out of the cathedral next, and took a nearby alley for utmost stealthiness, and made their way to the western area of the city where Meier would spawn.

Yuuji and his party followed them a few moments after, before taking a different turn from Yulier’s group. This was the path that would lead them to the position at Yulier group’s flank at Meier’s spawn point.

And finally, Heathcliff, Godfree, and Klein led their parties out of the cathedral and made their way to the city center.

A heavy, oppressive silence fell upon the city.

Then, the ground shook.

Once... Twice...

With every step, Walad shook the ground as it patrolled the centermost area of the city.

Orchis stood still, its thread spread across the buildings around him. A dreadful trap, laid like a spider’s web.

Meier stalked through the residential area of the western side of the city, while its two Berserked Puppet Bladers snuck around alleyways and roof tops in a twisted game of hide-and-seek with preys they were hoping to see.

But, the raid party had studied their movements and moved in a way to avoid their patrol route.

In less than 15 minutes, the group had reached their designated position.

All players brandished their weapons and hid, ready for a devastating ambush.

Then, when the countdown reached 0, Heathcliff, Diavel, Yulier, and Yuuji announced the start of their operation.

"Begin!"

In unison, despite being in separate areas of the city, all parties engaged the bosses of the 72nd floor.

"Focus on defense! And stay sharp for wires!"

Leading from the very front as the main tank, Diavel shouted his command and raised up his kite shield alongside three other tanks of his party, bracing for Orchis’s bladed arms strike.

*SCREEEEECH!*

A deafening screech echoed throughout the area, almost unbearably gnashing as they all hunker down in pain and endure the ringing in their head.

It wasn’t a roar. Orchis was a pure white marble puppet devoid of a face or mouth.

The sound was the deafening screech of hard marble grinding against marble, multiplied by the number of its limbs and joints and neck, as it brandished both of its bladed arms and opened up all four of its thread-manipulating arms wide.

It charged straight towards Diavel. Both of its bladed arms raised into the air and ready to slam down onto the players, while its four other arms and twenty fingers pulled the countless threads in an attempt to restrain the other players.

"It’s fast!"

"Careful on the left!"

"Strike those thread arms from the flank!"

"Focus on its joints!"

Diavel’s group was purposefully made up of players who had great defenses and endurance, which made their DPS potential lower than any other groups.

They didn’t have the DPS to be able to kill Orchis, who boasted the second-highest defense amongst the three bosses in this floor and threads capable of becoming improvised shields to take blows from them.

However, they didn’t need to.

They simply had to keep Orchis far from the other two bosses and endure. And both could be done by cutting off its limbs and limiting its attack options.

Naturally, its weak joints became their main target.

As long as they were able to keep themselves from being restrained, they would be able to restraining Orchis instead in this area.

"Godfree, flank its right. Party C, flank its left. Party A, keep the boss’s attention on us!"

"Yes!"

At the center plaza, standing upon a crushed, dried up fountain, a massive grey giant with long silver hair roared into the air and brandished its sickle and curved dagger at the small humans before it.

It raised its dagger arm high into the sky, and slammed down at the white-haired man on the front.

*CLAAAAAAANG!*

A deafening clang of metal echoed throughout the city center as a heavy boom shook the ground.

Heathcliff stood without moving a single step back. His white tower shield with a red cross meeting the giant curved dagger of Walad head on.

"Charge!"

"Haaaaah!"

"Take this!"

Godfree and Klein each lead their parties to its flanks, unleashing their sword skills upon its ankles and calves.

Three from each party attacked the giant floor boss, while the rest—the tanks—prepared for a switch right after they finished their attacks.

This was the strategy they’ve prepared for Walad.

By limiting the number of attackers, they would be able to control when it would counterattack and make sure that it would fall on the tankiest player capable of withstanding it; Heathcliff.

Although it decreased their DPS, their intention wasn’t to kill it. It was to wait for Yuuji’s party to come while dealing chip damage to it.

And when it came time for them to come, the six players from Yuuji’s party would be the ones dealing damage to it. They will use the same strategy, only this time, with much higher DPS.

Meanwhile, on the western side of the city, Yulier commanded the tank party and her auxiliary party with practiced ease.

"Tanks, focus on Meier! We’ll deal with the bladers!"

The tank party immediately charged for Meier, the giant crystal automaton, and placed themselves in between the mid-boss and Yulier’s party.

Meier engaged the tanks, its unfeeling, faceless figure belied the frenzied storm of blades it unleashed upon the shield-wielding armored players.

Meanwhile, Yulier led her party and charged towards the Berserked Puppet Blader closest to them.

While it may seem small compared to Meier, the Puppet Bladers were all well above 3 meters in height, easily towering above the Yulier and her party members.

And although its attacks weren’t as ferocious as Meier, the berserked puppet was almost impossible to stagger.

Even when parried, it would simply continue attacking with its other bladed arms and dove upon the party like a frenzied madman.

"Don’t switch recklessly! Keep attacking from its flank!"

The battle that started in disciplined order, instantly turn into chaos as Meier and its Berserked Puppet Blader unleashed frenzied attacks on the two parties.

"Stay calm! Keep our rhythm! Focus on counterattacking-"

Just then, from the corner of her eyes, Yulier spotted another hulking crystal giant charging at them with two bladed arms brandished.

"!!!"

It was fast. Extremely so. So much that it seemed uncanny considering its size.

"Split-"

Just as Yulier was about to order her party to split to hold off the other Berserked Puppet Blader while waiting for Yuuji’s party to arrive, she noticed a gleaming white flash fall straight down at the charging puppet blader.

*SLASH!*

A slash landed straight down through the puppet blade as chips and chunks of its crystal body flew off the air.

The force of it, so devastating, was enough to cause the giant crystal to fall over and stop its charge.

"! Yuuji-san!"

Relief instantly washed over Yulier as Yuuji and his party appeared in the nick of time.

"Asuna, Kirito, help Yulier-san with her puppet blader. The rest of you, we’ll deal with this dying blader."

"Yes!"

Asuna and Kirito immediately made their way towards Yulier and her party, while Yuuji stood before the Berserked Puppet Blader as it began to rise once again.

With machine-like movement and efficiency, the Puppet Blader charged towards Yuuji and raised its bladed hand up, and slashed down.

It was terrifyingly fast, but to Yuuji, it looked like a child swinging a wooden branch.

Parrying it would be easy. But given the low effectiveness of parrying to stagger it, Yuuji locked its bladed hand with his sword instead.

He didn’t simply defend. Instead, he pushed against it as well, maintaining the balance that would keep it on the defensive forcefully.

And in those few moments where the puppet was, essentially, staggered, the three other players flanked from its sides and unleashed their sword skills.

This time, with three high-leveled players able to unleash their sword skills against its undefended sides, the Puppet Blader was pushed back.

Using this chance, Yuuji also unleashed his sword skill and struck directly at its chest, dealing massive amounts of damage in an instant.

Meanwhile, Yulier’s party, now strengthened by Asuna and Kirito, was able finally deal real damage to their Berserked Puppet Blader.

In a matter of minutes, both Berserked Puppet Bladers fell, and both parties immediately rushed to help the tank party, who had been withstanding Meier’s frenzied assault.

"Yulier-san, focus on defense. Leave the damage to us."

"Yes!"

Now able to focus on the mid-boss alone, Yulier commanded her parties to focus on defense and make sure to cover Yuuji’s party.

Meanwhile, with its attention forcefully focused on the tanks, Yuuji, Asuna, Kirito, and the rest of his party was able to unleash their attacks freely from its back and flanks.

From start to finish, less than half an hour has passed.

And before long, Yuuji dealt the final hit on Meier the Marionette, splitting the crystal giant automaton in two.

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