Episode 31 — Kagachi the Samurai Lord
Fifth Day in the Month of Ume (February 5) in the Year of the Dragon
Floor 10
The katana was quick. The blue flash was seen after the strike was delivered. Bladescape panted heavily as she watched it play out. She didn't want to be here. Lind and Kibaou's fighting had intensified, so she had to be here to balance them out. Or try to balance them out. More like keep them from tumbling off the cliff. At least that was what it currently felt like. Really, they were already off the cliff and the only reason they hadn't fallen was because she had grabbed them, but it usually felt like they were dangling below her, with Bladescape unable to pull them back up and Kibaou complaining about Bladescape’s lack of strength.
Plus, this boss raid had stopped her from leveling up. She didn't go out training last night in order to get "proper rest." She hadn't really gotten proper rest since this death game had started. Sure, Bladescape didn't technically have to go, Natora could lead the party extremely well, and it didn't technically have to be any of their council leading the party, just the six Wondercolts pledged, but it had become expected of her to be leading them in the boss fights and she was the best at handling Kibaou, who still called Natora “Beater” to her face. Knightstar didn't do boss fights, unless it was an extreme circumstance, which Bladescape hoped to never have to do again. Unlike Natora's spear, Bladescape's sword could function in more roles. Natora couldn't fight certain bosses, at least not well. The advantages of the spear were as sharp as the disadvantages, while the sword basically lacked both advantages and disadvantages, which was its advantage. Bladescape would level up from the boss, but one more level and a higher mastery of two-handed sword would have been a welcomed advantage for this fight and, because she was only six XP away. Plus it would have put her in a better mood.
Kagachi the Samurai Lord was the Floor Boss for floor ten. He was a giant samurai, plain and simple. He was in steel blue armor with maroon and green robes underneath. His eyes glowed red and he had a forked tongue like a snake, along with some other snake iconography subtly sewn into his design, like an arm tattoo. His speed was brutal and so was his accuracy with the Katana he wielded.
The Wondercolts had just been beaten back once again, a testament to the boss' speed and agility. The others were not faring any better than the Wondercolts. Malus could handle the sword's hitting force, but it was easily maneuvered around her shield in subsequent attacks.
Bladescape observed the boss slashing and cutting at the other raiders. It was currently targeting the squads from the Dragon Knights Brigade. It wouldn't be long until it was back for the Wondercolts. She needed an answer before it came back.
The attacks reminded her of something, but she couldn't figure out what. Bladescape ran out of time as the samurai lord pivoted and dashed across the chamber to them. The first strike was blocked by Malus, the second by Diemond, and the third by Konpeito's axe. Bladescape didn't attack, only Natora, Konpeito, and Kiefer landed hits before the boss was gone.
"What happened?" Natora asked Bladescape. "You didn't attack."
"I'm forgetting something," Bladescape said, as she watched the same combination be thrown at the Aincrad Liberation Squad. They didn't do any better than the Wondercolts.
"You ain't usually distracted in a boss fight," Malus pressed.
That was true. Bladescape needed to focus. Trying to figure out what the familiarity was could easily take too long. Unless she used it, but that came with its own risks.
"Can you cover me?" Bladescape asked. "I need a moment to step back and think through everything, so I can hopefully tell us how to defeat it. Give me a shout if it comes back."
"We got your back," Natora said. Malus just silently nodded in response.
Bladescape stepped over the wall, facing it. She was fully exposed without her friends, but with the column beside her, no one could see her pulling out her book of memories. This was the absolute worst time to need to reference what was locked away in her mind, but she had to.
Bladescape opened it to the center and, as expected, it was right where she needed it to be, on the subject that she couldn't yet identify or name. The page covered the Iaido forms. Kagachi the Samurai Lord's attack patterns were using one of the more advanced forms; one Bladescape had never practiced but seen performed several times. It was the form Sugieda Masazumi had tested on during the competition. The book also contained sketches of each move in sequence. That's why it looked familiar. She quickly reviewed all of the forms and then put it away before she turned back to the boss fight.
Kagachi the Samurai Lord was focused on the DKB again. Agil's squad — which was made up of the bro squad, Kirito, and Asuna — had been the previous target and they had taken another beating. Kirito was as good as he always was, but he had never faced Kagachi the Samurai Lord in the beta. He hadn't made it this far up Aincrad. Kirito's time knowing things from the beta was basically over.
"Wait here," Bladescape told her friends. She strode out into the middle of the chamber and set up. Bladescape actually knelt down on the floor and composed herself as she sat there. It gave her a moment to focus her mind on the task at hand, to sharpen it like a blade. Her claymore was at her left hip, facing backwards. It was the starting position for Iaido, just lacking a sheath and using a longer, straight blade, which didn't matter since she wasn't going to do a quick draw like Iaido's opening move was. It was modified to work with what she had. The boss' attack might have been based in Iaido, but Bladescape had been training in the art.
Kagachi noticed an exposed Bladescape and abandoned the beat down it was delivering. It charged her, only needing a few long strides to bridge the distance between them. Bladescape held her position. The sword flashed at her but she knew what was coming. She calmly responded, stepping up onto her right foot and left knee and she "drew" her claymore. Virtual steel met virtual steel as their swords collided. The follow up came and Bladescape blocked it too as she came up onto both feet. The third was easy to block as well, now that she knew the attack patterns. Bladescape retaliated with a slash at its leg, above the greave where there was no armor. It roared in pain and retaliated.
Bladescape came out of the delay in time to dive into a roll and escape. The sword came again, too fast for her lower agility stats, and she ungracefully skipped backwards. She narrowly avoided the deadly sword, but her feet didn't catch her. She landed, hard, splayed out on her back. The sword came a third time, but Malus was there, saving Bladescape with no time to spare. The Samurai Lord didn't want to keep fighting her as the rest of the Wondercolts arrived with a newfound fury, delivering four solid hits. It bolted away in search of easier prey. Diamond helped Bladescape up while Natora led the others in creating a defensive screen.
"What in tarnation was that‽" Malus asked. It was really a demand. “Other than stupid.”
"That was a test," Bladescape explained. "It's using Iaido forms for its sword combinations. I had to take a moment to remember them. It's been a while and the advanced forms I have only observed."
"So does that mean you know how to kill it?" Natora asked.
"It means I know how to fight it," Bladescape said. "Really more like counter it. I don't see a weakness, even with this revelation. I can block his sword better than any shield, not only because I know what is coming, but because my sword is a more flexible tool that can mirror his speed. You five will have to hit him for me."
Malus always enjoyed being able to hit things; the same with Diemond and Reisenki. Far too often their tanks ended up playing heavily on the role, becoming purely defensive elements for their damage dealers. They were relied upon more than Bladescape wanted, but they couldn't help it. All attempts to break free from that rut had failed. Not that the three of them would ever complain about it. They had willingly chosen the roles and everyone knew how crucial they were for their small team. It paid off in non-monetary ways. They also enjoyed it, even when it meant not scoring any hits.
They set their line, with Bladescape in the center and forward a few paces to ensure she was targeted by the boss. Her immediate flanks were covered by Malus and Diemond. Kiefer and Konpeito were on the wide flanks, but Natora was in the center, behind the tanks, ready to shift her spear's reach advantage to wherever it was needed.
They appeared to be the only ones to have adapted to the boss' speed. Not that the others were necessarily behind. The speed of Kagachi the Samurai Lord had been understated. It had the highest quickness stats out of any of the bosses seen so far, but none of them had truly grasped what that meant. None of the beta testers had made it this high in the beta, meaning the assault team was blind from here on out.
The Samurai Lord came at them again. This time the result was completely different. Bladescape blocked each strike, the others landed their hits as the two of them danced and spun in the dance of a sword duel. He didn't give up, immediately coming again and Malus blocked his sword. Bladescape instinctively struck at the opening, her claymore finding its heart and knocking it back, into the same wall and pillar where she had uncovered the boss' secret in her book of memories. It hissed a screech, its snake tongue flicking out in protest as it stood back up.
Kagachi was down two of four health bars. The Wondercolts had done some serious damage, although the others had knocked plenty off as they were pulverized. Or better put, Malus' and Diemond's armor crushing hammer and mace had done serious damage to the armored boss. Its left arm glowed as the white tattoo that was wrapped around it came to life. It was a snake, including the head, and it was also a whip. A powerful, big, and fast whip. Bladescape was the first target, but Malus had been beside her. The impact nearly knocked her off her feet as she deflected it into the ceiling. The whip came again, slamming into Diemond and tossing her back. Natora barely managed to avoid getting tangled up in that catastrophe. She rushed after Diemond to assist her in getting back on her feet and with any healing needs. Her HP was now in the red from the single hit.
Konpeito was unable to avoid the whip and was similarly tossed; although she somehow managed to control her final moments in the air, flipping around to land like a cat. Kagachi the Samurai Lord screeched, either in victory or in anger at her successful landing strategy. Their sugary viking friend roared her own challenge back, thunderously proclaiming their motto, "MO GHILE MEAR!" Kagachi fended off the Wondercolts with a quick attack of its sword as it retracted the snake whip, only to immediately cast it again at Konpeito before she could rejoin the fight. The fangs sunk into her as the snake made sure to fling her to the far wall and pin her there. She teleported out, an action that absolutely saved her life, but also left them a raider down. Still, it was better than losing their friend and no one was going to say anything. She was hardly the first to teleport out in this fight and she had absolutely done her best and distracted the boss. While the boss tried to permanently eliminate Konpeito, Kiefer and Bladescape scored hits, as well as Kirito, Asuna, and Agil. The rest of the Bro Squad was in defensive positions, ready to block.
They were there just in time as Kagachi turned back to them. They had to avoid the whip coming back to his arm, but the real threat was still his sword and speed. At least for them. The others were farther away and had to be careful as it was whipped around, intent on crushing them with its immense mass.
Natora and Diemond rejoined the front line as they once again dealt with the sword. Kirito blocked one strike and Bladescape blocked two separate attacks, while the shield bearers handled the others. Their damage dealers didn't miss the opportunity presented to them, unleashing the best they could with minimal delay penalties. The boss was nearing the red.
It didn't take long to push him there, where he entered his final rage mode. The whip disappeared as a second blade, a smaller wakizashi, materialized in its left hand in a brilliant flash of blue-white light. The speed of both swords was even faster than the previous phase. It was insane. They had just enough shields to handle the initial onslaught. The two swords also didn't hit as hard as the whip, relying on their speed and agility, along with Kagachi's immense speed. That wasn't factoring in the explosive blue lightning that came with many of the sword strikes. Diemond and the rest of the Bro Squad were forced to fall back to a safe distance to heal.
Bladescape charged the Samurai Lord when the opportunity presented itself. The wakizashi was not the only new threat. As she charged, it swiped its wakizashi downward through the air, sending forth a vertical wave of energy careening towards her. An immediate follow up horizontal slash with its katana combined them into a disjointed cross. Bladescape spun to the side, easily avoiding the attack. The horizontal slash was right there. She instinctively flipped like Thunderborne or Natora would do in combat, getting over the radiating attack, before rushing the last bit of the way to Kagachi.
He was hers. His health was low enough to finish this fight. Bladescape blocked the swords again and again. Despite the boosted speed of its enraged state, Bladescape was just fast enough to counter. The third strike came and she blocked it. The same with the fourth and fifth. Then the Samurai Lord was in a delay and Bladescape launched her attack. The four hit combo was paired with a five hit combo. It carved off the HP, reducing the red to nothing.
Yet Kagachi the Samurai Lord still stood and Bladescape was in her own delay, one made worse by the chained skill. She realized there was a tiny sliver of Red HP left. It was barely noticeable, but it was there. He wasn't dead or defeated. If she had that extra level, put in the work the night before, she would have been able to pull it off. The Last Attack Bonus would have been hers in that attack. Now she just had to hope to be released from the delay before it was or she would reap its wrath. The giant Samurai came out of its delay, immediately swiping its katana at her to deliver that wrath.
The wrath never landed as the boss fractured into polygons. But it wasn't Kirito that Bladescape saw through their glittering cloud. Not this time. It was Asuna. She was faster than Kirito, who came sliding to a stop beside her. Asuna had probably used a charging skill to launch herself across the distance, into the lunge. As frustrated as Bladescape was over her own failure, yet again, it was good to see the LAB go to someone else who was worthy of getting it. Kirito often deserved them, but he had snagged most of them, including the field bosses. It was absolutely Asuna's turn, likely her first, especially since she had saved Bladescape's life.
Bladescape was released from the delay and immediately bowed to Asuna in recognition of her actions. Asuna bowed back, accepting the gesture, but not as low as Bladescape went.
"Well done, Bladescape," Asuna said. "Once again, the Wondercolts proved to be the solution or main force in a boss raid. Seeing you block the sword as you did, well it was impressive. You did better than Kirito at that."
Her words deserved a proper reply, not just a bow. Before she had just come out of the fight. Now she had no excuse.
"Thank you, Asuna," Bladescape replied, slightly bowing. "For both the compliments and the timing of your sword." Bladescape quickly glanced at the boys to check on them. Lind had the DKB on one side, huddled together, and Kibaou had the ALS assembled on the other. They were both taking a head count to see who was left. "The boys are clueless, reckless, and far too often in the way, yet we need bodies to distract the boss. It's easier to criticize them when they don't lose anyone. With the boys being the boys, I must say that it's good to have you, Kirito, and the Bro Squad having our backs in the raids"
"Nearly a dozen teleported out," Kirito added. "And there were at least two deaths. One from each of their guilds."
That was tough to hear, but it wasn't the fault of the Wondercolts or Agil's party.
The Wondercolts had discussed their next move, publicly, to be deployed when it was good opportunity. It had unanimous council support, but that wasn't good enough. Still, it didn't take long for them to make their case to the others and for the vote to pass unanimously among the rest.
"Asuna, I'm not trying to snipe you," Bladescape prefaced. "I know you are having fun and doing incredibly important things to advance our effort, and I don't mean to put any extra pressure on you; in fact I hope to relieve some potential worries you might have. If there ever comes the day where, for your safety, you need a guild that will have your back, you are welcome to join us. Kirito too. I'm sure we could work out a way to support you and help you safely advance, without sacrificing what makes both of you, you; what makes you so effective. We're concerned that soloing won't be a viable strategy later on. So the offer comes now, but it's a standing one. You don't have to accept it, ever. If you need to, view it as proof that you're doing exactly what we need you to do."
Kirito's eyebrow raised at the statement, but he kept his mouth shut. Asuna bowed to Bladescape. "I will keep that in mind," she said. "I don't know what the future holds, but it's nice to know I have a place to go if need be. Lind and Kibaou have made it clear I'm not welcome and neither is Kirito. Thank you for the encouraging words. We might be solo players partied up, but we still are solo. You have an understanding, an empathy, about what we do. Your guild is kind, generous, beautiful, brave, loyal, strong, honest, and brings about hope in a unique way that is, for lack of a better word, magical. I've seen and heard about your exploits off the field. You do much more than players realize to advance the front and keep the intermediate players ready for whenever we are able to open up because of the clearing effort."
"If you wish to join us for our post raid toast, you are welcome to," Bladescape added. "Both of you. You deserve it."
"I think we will pass," Asuna said. "But the offer is very appreciated."
Bladescape could tell the offer for drinks made Kirito nervous. She wasn't sure why, but it did. He was a guy who approached you, not the other way around. Asuna caught it too, which was likely why she declined. Bladescape could respect that choice, but she had to ensure they knew what they needed to. She felt confident that both Asuna and Kirito understood their value in more than just being strong players under the Wondercolts' banner.
For now, the Wondercolts had to look forward. They needed to reconvene with the others, for more than their usual toast and celebration, especially after becoming separated from Konpeito. After losing another two players, it would be another somber celebration. There was nothing they could do about that except honor the dead while doing their best to look forward and rectify any errors that resulted in their deaths.
BLADESCAPE: Level 28 — Two-Handed Sword — Searching — Weapon Defense — Leather Armor — First Aid
NATORA: Level 26 — Two-Handed Spear — Purchase Negotiations — Sales Negotiation — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor
KNIGHTSTAR: Level 26 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Equipment Appraisal — First Aid
MALUS: Level 26 — One-Handed War Hammer — Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid — Extended Weight Carry
THUNDERBORNE: Level 26 — Rapier — Sprint — Acrobatics — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor
KONPEITO: Level 26 — Two-Handed Axe — Cooking — Weapon Defense — Light Metal Armor — Martial Arts — First Aid
DIEMOND: Level 26 — Mace — Shield — Sewing — Heavy Metal Armor — First Aid
DOOMBUNNY: Level 26 — One-Handed Dagger — Hide — Fighting Spirit — Blade Throwing — First Aid
KIEFER: Level 24 — One-Handed Curved Sword — Slash Weapon Forging — Light Metal Armor — Weapon Defense — First Aid
SORYUTO: Level 24 — One-Handed Sword — Shield — Light Metal Armor — Music — First Aid
REISENKI: Level 24 — One-Handed Axe — Shield — Heavy Metal Armor — Equipment Repair — Metal Equipment Repair