Chapter 19: Soloing the Boss! The Fourth Hokage... Is That You?
Seito rubbed his chin as he processed the intel.
One million HP. That wasn't just a boss; it was a mountain of meat. Even with his specialized modifiers allowing for a base potential of 10,000 damage per swing, he had no idea what the Boss's actual Damage Reduction (DR) looked like.
After a moment of silence, Seito turned toward the Labyrinth entrance.
"I'm going in to clear it now."
"Eh?" Haruno blinked in surprise. "By yourself?"
"Obviously," Seito nodded. He didn't mince words. "Don't even think about asking to party up for the fight. My combat pace is something you guys won't be able to keep up with."
The four women: "..."
Does he have to be that blunt?
"Then... can we at least come in to watch?" Haruno asked, her mind already calculating. As a top-tier player herself, she wanted to see exactly how wide the gap was between the "Uncrowned King" and the rest of the world.
Seito glanced at her. "The four of you can follow. The rest of your guards stay outside."
He trusted the characters of Shizuka, Haruno, and the others, but he wasn't about to show his full hand to a bunch of corporate mercenaries.
"Deal! Let's go." Haruno sent a party invite.
Seito clicked 'Accept' and walked into the darkened mouth of the Labyrinth. The crowd of players outside parted like the Red Sea. Given that Seito had soloed the Floor 1 Boss, no one dared to question his arrogance now. They simply began whispering bets on how long he'd last.
...
Floor 7: The Palace of the Fallen.
The interior of the Labyrinth resembled an ancient, decaying palace—damp, dimly lit, and suffocatingly silent. Seito's eyes locked onto the figure seated upon a throne at the far end: the [Fallen General].
"Stay back," Seito commanded. He drew his Chokuto and began his approach.
The four women didn't argue. They knew they were effectively "baggage" in a high-speed encounter like this, so they kept a safe distance, watching with bated breath.
The Fallen General sensed the intruder. It stood up, its rusted armor clanking, and met Seito in the center of the hall. For a heartbeat, the world stood still.
Then—BOOM!
The ground shattered. A shockwave of dust and displaced air ripped through the room like a localized sandstorm. The spectators gasped, their eyes straining to follow the action.
In the center of the clearing, Seito's blade was locked against the General's massive broadsword. The speed of the initial clash had been so high that the women hadn't even seen them move.
Seito felt the vibration traveling up his arm.
'Heavy,' he thought.
'High Strength, and its Agility isn't far behind mine'. Using his Spatial Power to reinforce his blade was the only reason he wasn't overpowered instantly. He estimated the Boss's Attack Power to be at least 15,000. It was time to get serious.
Whoosh!
He vanished, reappearing directly behind the Boss.
"Dimensional Slash!"
[-8,160]
"Less than ten thousand?" Seito frowned. The General's physical defense was massive. Normally, a Dimensional Slash would hit for at least 11,000. To see it mitigated down to 8,000 meant this thing was a literal iron wall.
The General roared in pain, spinning its blade in a wide, punishing arc.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A symphony of steel on steel erupted. The two figures became blurs of white and grey. To Shizuka and the others, it looked like sparks were simply exploding out of thin air.
"Is this really just the Seventh Floor?"
Shizuka asked, her expression grim. She realized she would have been deleted in seconds. But more than the boss, she was stunned by Seito. He wasn't just surviving; he was dictating the flow of the duel.
"Shizuka-chan, don't underestimate your student," Haruno said softly. "He's one of the world's Top 3 for a reason."
"I never did," Shizuka replied with a proud, small smile.
Seito was in the "Zone." The Boss was strong—stronger than him in raw stats—but he had something the AI didn't.
"Spatial Void-Step!"
He flickered through the General's attack frames, appearing in its blind spot and delivering a heavy kick that sent the armored giant airborne.
"Spatial Dragon's... Roar!!"
"Spatial Dragon's... Breath!!"
"Dimensional Slash!"
[-6,478]
[-8,307]
...
Once he gained the initiative, Seito became a relentless hurricane. He limited his high-mana skills, relying on his massive Agility for pure physical pressure. With a million HP to burn through, he had to save his Mana (MP) for his movement skills.
Flash! Flash! Flash!
[-6,359]
[-6,176]
[-6,427]
He looked like a White Flash. With the combined use of Spatial Blink and Void-Step, he moved with the lethal elegance of the Fourth Hokage. His white trench coat whipped behind him as he danced around the General, weaving a web of cuts.
The Boss's HP began to bleed out.
1,000,000... 900,000... 700,000...
500,000...
The four women were paralyzed by the spectacle. Seito was keeping the Boss in a "Juggle State," preventing it from even touching the ground to reset its AI. It was a flawless display of mechanical skill.
An hour passed. The Boss was down to its final 50,000 HP when it finally found a frame of opening. It triggered its Berserk buff.
"ROAAAAR!!!"
With a desperate howl, the Fallen General hurled its greatsword at Seito. The projectile move was too fast to dodge mid-air.
CRASH!
Seito was sent flying, smashing into the stone wall and creating a massive crater.
"Cough...!"
Thank you for reading.