"Hmph."
Standing on the upper level of Crimson Jade Palace, watching the battle through the system interface, Madara couldn't help but chuckle.
Aside from Uchiha Madara, he had never seen another person use this technique—not even himself. He could only replicate it within this digital world.
The version of Mokuton (Wood Release) that Radius could use was meant to be on par with Madara's, but that was Sage Mode Madara, not the current version of himself.
Not to mention, even Sage Mode Madara couldn't use Sage Art: Wood Release – True Several Thousand Hands—that was Hashirama's ultimate Wood Release technique.
The most important thing was that Madara didn't need this move.
After all, this technique was specifically designed for countering his Armored Susanoo during their battle at the Valley of the End.
Now, his Susanoo had evolved into "Mokuton: Armament Haki Armored Susanoo," which was by no means weaker than this ability.
The concept was simple—he had simply covered his Perfect Susanoo with an additional layer of Wood Release armor, reinforcing it with Armament Haki for added durability and offense.
If Izuna were here, he would have further enhanced it with his Mangekyō Sharingan ability, "Enton: Kagutsuchi," covering the armor in Black Flames.
"So, what do you think? Take a guess—how many casualties?"
Izuna smirked as he continued watching the battle unfold.
"No more than twenty."
"Ahahaha, Nii-san, you're overestimating them… and underestimating Kayaba."
Izuna confidently shook his head and raised two fingers.
"At least 200. Dak, what do you think?"
Behind them, Dak—or more accurately, the NPC known as "Arceus"—stood in place, casually adjusting his gear.
"'Shitty Mop'? Hm, not bad. Equipping it. I don't need to deal damage anyway."
"'Blinding Shield'? Oh, perfect, this one flashes people's eyes!"
"'Suspenders'? Triggers an ear-piercing chicken scream when hit… Oh, I like this!"
Izuna turned around to look at Dak, and his face immediately stiffened.
He hesitated for a second… then gave up trying to stop Dak's antics.
From the beginning, neither Madara nor Izuna had intended to let Dak fight seriously—not even their Pokémon would step in.
Because if all three of them fought seriously…
Even in this digital world, the entire Raid Party of 2,500 players wouldn't stand a chance.
After all, they had 'Boss Templates'—every one of their attributes was enhanced. If they went all out, the players might as well prepare to grow old and die in SAO.
But now…
Even without fighting seriously, just looking at Dak's gear choices, Izuna was convinced he'd have players running for their lives.
He couldn't even imagine the chaos that would unfold.
"Nope, I refuse to think about this!"
Izuna shook his head violently and rubbed his forehead in frustration.
Dak was becoming more ridiculous by the day, and if this continued for a few more years, he feared that Dak's once-glorious reputation might completely collapse.
Lower Level – The Battle Continues
In the battlefield below, the fight raged on.
Controlled by Akihiko Kayaba, Radius fought like the reincarnation of Hashirama himself.
The massive Thousand-Armed Kannon towered over the battlefield, its size rivaling that of the Floor 96 Boss, Antoon.
Before this colossal statue, the players were like ants.
Fortunately, it was only an intimidating visual.
Aside from its increased attack range and damage output, it could still take damage.
Radius's ten health bars were slowly being chipped away.
Against an opponent like this, Pokémon status moves were ineffective.
The Kannon was just an empty shell, a giant suit of armor—Radius's true body was inside.
Pokémon couldn't manipulate something of that size.
All they could do was deal damage, heal players, and use debuff skills to weaken the boss.
Kayaba was holding back—otherwise, many more players would have died already.
After fifteen minutes, the battle had already shaved off three health bars from Radius, yet only 20 players had died.
Still, it felt like an eternity.
Compared to previous fights, where they had only lost a few dozen, this time they had barely scratched 30% of the boss's HP, and 20 were already dead.
Everyone knew—
In these final floors, every boss had three phases.
If this was only the first phase, then…
How many more would die in the next two?
And what new attacks would the boss unleash?
Still, they pressed on—because they wanted to go home.
Outside the Crimson Jade Palace, over 30,000 players waited anxiously for good news.
Many of them were elderly and children.
They refused to return empty-handed.
Phase 2 Begins
"Hm, looks like it's time for the next phase."
Kayaba watched his HP drop and muttered to himself.
Then—
All one thousand arms of the Kannon clapped together.
At its feet, hundreds of humanoid plant creatures began emerging from the ground, swarming toward the players like zombies.
One pair of hands summoned one 'White Zetsu.'
With 1,000 arms—that meant 500 White Zetsu.
These White Zetsu clones were modeled after Dak's description.
When first summoned, they had no attributes.
They would automatically copy the attributes of whoever first attacked them.
If left alone, they were harmless illusions.
But players had no idea about this mechanic.
Seeing a horde of monsters rushing at them, their instinct was to attack.
"Laser Eyes."
As the White Zetsu charged, Radius's eyes flashed blue, releasing a deadly beam across the battlefield.
This attack only happened once—
But anyone hit by it, player or Pokémon, died instantly.
Just one sweep—and the death count jumped to 87.
Many players snapped mentally, especially those who had just lost their Pokémon.
"Get it together! If we give up now, everything will be for nothing! If you want to see your Pokémon again—fight to reach Floor 101!"
Zack, wielding his massive scythe, slaughtered seven or eight White Zetsu in a single move.
He wouldn't let anyone stand in the way of finding his Floatzel on Floor 101.
Even if he wouldn't stay in this world much longer—
At the very least, he owed Floatzel an apology… and a proper farewell.
"These 'White Zetsu' are nothing! They have attributes but no combat skills—just basic scratches and bites! They're easy to deal with—don't give up!"
Asuna called out, rallying the demoralized players while protecting them from incoming attacks.
Her words, combined with Zack's, turned the tide.
The once demoralized players now fought like demons, tearing through White Zetsu with feral determination.
Their combat power skyrocketed by 50%.
Meanwhile, Kayaba refrained from using more advanced attacks—only having the Kannon slap down at random.
Still, another dozen players died.
Final Phase: Sword Battle
When Radius's health dropped to 30%, Phase 3 began.
The Kannon collapsed, revealing Radius's true form.
Kayaba dropped all flashy abilities—
And drew a massive Zanbato.
This was pure sword combat.
Radius wielded his weapon expertly, slicing through players like a war god.
The death count rose steadily.
At 300 deaths, the final health bar hit zero.
The 100th Floor Boss disintegrated.
For a long moment, no one moved.
Then—
"Did… we win?"
(End of Chapter)
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