As a humanoid boss, the << Xhitana Queen >> had very developed attack patterns. In fact, it was probably wrong to call them patterns at all. She fought just as any other player would, without any discernable flaws - and with the skill level of a frontliner.

That meant her axes came at you a lot quicker than you thought, and from very unexpected angles.

When the first gold ax cut at his knees, almost parallel to the ground, Drifter swore, not having expected the boss to attack so low despite her stature.

He hastily swung his spear down to block, the sharp 'clang' of metal echoing in the room and making his body tremble, for more than one reason. If an ax of that size hit him, it would go straight through his legs, and he would be as good as dead.

It still hurt like hell. Not actual pain, of course, but the power behind the blow sent him careening back and into Vallerk and Wolv. As his two friends helped him up, Drifter looked up and shivered.

"I blocked it and still a fourth of my health is gone. This is going to be tough."

As they say, seeing is believing. Even after watching the scouting party, one had to experience it for themselves to understand just how terrifyingly strong a round floor boss was.

"The gold ax is harder. The silver one hits faster. Kizmel, switch in with Ran!"

Kirito was overseeing Reaver's Requiem's maneuvers. His eyes were darting around as he gave orders, and a slight tightening of his fingers around the handle of his black sword was all the indication he gave before jumping back into the fray himself.

Drifter bumped fists with Wolv and Vallerk, and shot a smile at Yuna to show he was okay, before raising his spear again.

<< Xhitana Queen >> had 5 HP bars. Two of them were completely gray, and a third was only halfway full.

Wounds covered the boss, more red lines appearing before the old ones could fade. Every frontliner was giving it their all. There had been no casualties amongst the Assault Team. Yet.

They were now in what they called the second phase of the boss raid. In practical terms, that meant the boss had just turned a lot more deadly.

The sparse scales on the << Xhitana Queen's >> body had now multiplied to cover her limbs, belly, back, and cheeks almost entirely. Her spiral horn was now two, both much larger than the original one. And her axes were much swifter, which was what caught Drifter by surprise just moments ago.

Having recovered enough, Drifter charged back in once again. His spear snapped out, accurately finding the spots without scales on her body. He didn't know if it made a difference, but he tried to find weak points anyway.

The big one was obviously her exposed heart. It was hanging there for all to see, and Sinon would put half a dozen arrows in it every 5 seconds, but most of them got impeded by the chains wrapped around the organ.

Drifter didn't have as much of a problem. If the chains were in the way, he was just going to pierce through them. Brute force oftentimes worked just as well.

"Back left, Agil!"

Regardless of their ability to withstand and shake off normal status conditions such as stun or paralysis, bosses were still very much afflicted by physical interaction. So, when Drifter yelled, Agil slammed his ax on the back of the << Xhitana Queen's >> left knee with a << Tree Felling >>, and the boss stumbled, then fell down to one knee.

That put her heart at the perfect height for Drifter to stab it. He did so with an << Upturn >>, his spear seemingly burning with the skills orange glow.

The two-hit combo of a stab and upwards swipe struck hard if the boss' roar of pain was any indication.

Drifter avoided the retaliatory silver ax with << Edge Vaulting >>. The boss was still kneeling.

<< Martial Arts: Senda >>. Downwards << Vertical >>. Stab, stab, swipe. << Snake Bite >>. << Dirty Play >>. << Brick Break >> to create distance. << Rage Spike >> to close it again. Slash, cut. << Sting >>. << Horizontal >>. Swipe. Swipe again. Another << Snake Bite >>. Stab, << Dirty Play >> again. << Martial Arts: High-Kick >>. Stab, cut, stab. << Needle Spear >>. << Tendon Snap >>.

24 attacks in total. 32 hits, since each << Snake Bite >> were two hits and << Needle Spear >> six. The longest combo Drifter had ever attempted.

He was battered by the end of it. And not just physically, but mentally too. The focus required to connect each attack was out of this world. The skills couldn't be chosen at random. The normal attacks had to be perfectly placed to serve as a buffer, to connect the end of one skill with the start of another. He couldn't afford the fractions of a second that it would take to reposition his spear.

And he had to avoid the boss' counterattacks while at it. He was replaying the sequence in his mind, even as he used the rebound from << Martial Arts: Tendon Snap >> to back away, avoiding the gold ax by a hair's width.

<< Senda >> had been to send his body up, so that << Vertical >> could bring him back down with gravity on his side, carving a line on the << Xhitana Queen's >> face and torso. The swipe had left him in position for the first << Snake Bite >> aimed at her heart. The << Dirty Play >> was to make sure it hurt. And so it went.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Instinct and experience were a frontliner's greatest assets. Drifter never planned any of that combo. He had never attempted it before. But he did it, even if he had a number of wounds carved into his body and a health bar in the low end of yellow to show for it.

"You are making the rest of us look bad, Drifter. Here, drink."

Hero Orlando chucked a health potion to him, and Drifter grinned despite himself. It didn't matter that they weren't in the same party or even the same guild.

"You say that, but I saw Gilgamesh, Beowulf, and Enkidu working together to bring her down for the rest of ya, and it wasn't too shabby either."

"Hahahaha!"

They both laughed, perhaps more passionately than they should have. But it was one way to relieve the tension, and it was true.

"She ain't gonna make this easy."

"No. Watch out, Orlando. The last HP bar is gonna be it. Have Chuchulainn on standby, I feel like we are going to need more shields for the halberd. Full health or stay back. Pass it on to Dale and Harry One."

"Hm."

Drifter's eyes flashed and his seriousness returned. No deaths yet. But there had been some close calls. Players in the red, a flick away from their demise. Half a dozen missing limbs from those not quick enough to block or dodge the gold ax.

He watched Nautilus grunt and tank the silver ax, holding it still long enough for his blade to chop down on the fingers holding it. Kirito and Asuna coming from the other side with << Slant >>, << Sonic Leap >>, << Sharp Hail >>, << Oblique >>, << Glass Shard >>. Silica had used Vallerk's shield as a platform to launch herself up and stab the << Xhitana Queen >> in the eye. Repeatedly.

"Last phase. << Song of Stone >> and << Firemare >>, Yuna. Change as you see fit."

A short nod was all he got from the Songstress, who was busy playing her flute. Drifter didn't have the time to share affections with her now. When Kirito was in the thick of it, it was his job to coordinate the Reavers.

"Kizmel, Liz, get back in there. Ran, Yuuki, Griselda, relieve Kirito and Asuna when they need to bow out. Sinon, work impediment. Anything to slow down her swings when she trades for the halberd."

The archer gave a curt nod. Drifter didn't need to explain in detail what he wanted. Her status effect skills worked for less than half a second on the boss. Her arrows could be the difference between life and death for the players in the front, but they needed to arrive at the perfect time. Not a second earlier or later. It was a lot of pressure.

She could handle it. Drifter searched for the last three members of Reaver's Requiem. Agil and Wolv were in good positions. Shigio had already fallen back to prepare for the last phase. The << Xhitana Queen >> had less than 10% on her second-to-last HP gauge.

"Liten, Shivata, 30 seconds! Vallerk, switch!"

After signaling the ALS and DKB players, Drifter rushed in. Vallerk had to get back in preparation for the last phase.

9%. Drifter hit the boss with a series of normal attacks, dancing between the gold and silver axes.

7%. Klein, Dynamm, Issin, and Kunimittz struck the << Xhitana Queen >> from the side, giving Nautilus an opening to step back and heal.

5%. Kibaou, Liten, and several ALS elites stepped forward, still out of reach, but close enough that they could join the battle at any moment.

4%. Vallerk, Shigio, Nautilus, Chuchulainn, Dale, and Harry One formed a line behind Drifter. The entire Assault Team tensed in preparation for the final phase.

3%. 2%. 1%.

Drifter swept his weapon up and twisted his wrists, spinning his spear. The tip went through the chain links and pierced the << Xhitana Queen's >> heart.

0%. The fourth HP bar went gray, and the boss bellowed. That and the gold and silver axes crashing on the floor as she let them go were the only sounds in the room.

The players who were fighting the << Xhitana Queen >> retreated, and all the tanks stepped forward. Drifter could feel his heart beating in his chest. He heard it in his ears. It was like someone was beating a war drum right next to him.

The << Xhitana Queen >> punched the ground, and shards flew everywhere. Her fingers wrapped around something. She was now covered in scales from head to toe, her yellow eyes and slitted pupils the only uncovered part of her body.

She roared again, and pulled a halberd out of the ground. It was enormous. Bigger than her, and pitch-black. Dark as night. The blade didn't glint or reflect the light from the torches. It absorbed it.

"<< Brace >>! << Shield Wall >>! << Mountain Power >>!"

The halberd was raised. Skills flashed to life one after another. The halberd came down. Players went flying.

"Argh!"

"Fuck!"

"Aaahh-"

No one died. Not yet. But that simple attack had hurt over two dozen players. Half were instantly brought down to the yellow mark. Two were in the red.

"Forward!"

There was no time for hesitation. Liten shouted, and the tanks who were still on their feet literally stepped over their fallen comrades to pressure the boss.

<< Shield Bashes >> from most of them. Liten, Vallerk, and Nautilus used << Unrepentant Charge >..

The boss' halberd froze for just a fraction of a second, but it was enough to take a lot of power out of it. Vallerk and Liten stumbled. Nautilus held his ground on sheer willpower. A FNC hadn't made him kneel, neither would a boss.

By the third strike, the rest of the frontliners had already come up the sides and behind the boss, exactly as planned. Drifter himself stabbed and slashed with reckless abandon. This wasn't a battle they could just tough it out and endure. They had to finish it quickly.

Drifter watched the first player die. He saw that halberd coming up and down again, barely a pause in its unstoppable descent, repeating the cycle.

A DKB player with less than 20% HP remaining looked up in horror at that looming blade. Harry One pushed him away, and the halberd cut straight through him.

The Fuurinkazan player had his mouth open in an 'O' shape right before he shattered. As if he couldn't believe what he had done, as if his body had moved on its own to save the other frontliner. Which it probably had, to be honest. There had been no time for a conscious decision.

Drifter was sure Klein screamed, and many others. He probably did it too. But if he did, he couldn't hear it. Drifter's spear swung furiously, all the hate and pain of a frontliner behind each blow.

He didn't see or hear the next player die. Only learned of it minutes later, after the << Xhitana Queen >> exploded into shards and the anxiously awaited message appeared in the air.

[ Congratulations! ]

The second player to perish had been the last. It was the DKB frontliner that Harry One pushed and died to save. The boss hadn't stopped going after him.

What a useless sacrifice. What a necessary sacrifice.

That was how the 20th floor boss raid ended. In silence. Because two was better than six. But it was still two too many.