The challenge of clearing the Black Iron Palace was formidable for ordinary players, but it was nothing compared to the combined strength of Morin and Asuna. Whether it was the dense swarm of skeleton-type monsters that appeared instantly, the various rock giant-shaped creatures, or even the rare ghost-type monsters, they could only stall Morin and Asuna for a moment before being swiftly eliminated, turning into loot for the duo.
What truly posed a challenge to Morin and Asuna, however, was the complex geography of the Black Iron Palace. The palace's terrain was exponentially more intricate than the labyrinthine areas on various floors. The first half of the palace was manageable. Although the Star Flame guild's previous exploration attempts had failed, they had a map of the first half, which did not delay Morin and his companions for long. However, once they ventured deeper into the Black Iron Palace, they found themselves in an unfamiliar labyrinth, relying on their own abilities to find the correct path. The time and effort spent navigating were even greater than dealing with the monsters, and it took them a full day to reach the central area.
Once they arrived, the Grim Reaper-shaped Boss appeared silently before them, and before it could even strike, Morin had already sensed its presence.
"Careful! The Enemy Search skill isn't reacting, this Boss is at least the level of a 90th-floor boss!"
Seeing the Grim Reaper Boss, cloaked in a gold-trimmed cloak and wearing a golden mask, Morin's heart skipped a beat as he warned Asuna.
"A 90th-floor boss?!"
Asuna's initial shock quickly turned into action. Without hesitation, she pulled out the highest-quality Holy Crystal from her inventory, and her cyan rapier shimmered with a golden light.
Asuna's quick reflexes were impressive, but the appearance of the Grim Reaper Boss was a serious threat. Unlike the tattered black-robed version of the Grim Reaper in the original SAO, this one was a towering figure, over three meters tall, wrapped in a dark robe adorned with gold trim. Its skeletal arms, resembling black gemstones, extended from its long sleeves, and it wielded a massive scythe, five or six meters long. Blood-red patterns, resembling fresh blood, dripped from the curved blade.
The most striking feature, however, was the Grim Reaper's exposed face. The dark golden skull mask exuded an oppressive energy that struck fear into anyone who gazed upon it. The prompt "suffering special pressure judgment" made Morin uneasy, and he instinctively realized that the Grim Reaper Boss had been altered in this version of the Black Iron Palace.
"Woooooo..."
The Grim Reaper Boss did not wait for Morin and Asuna to strike. With a shrill sound, its scythe cut through the air, and it instantly closed the distance between them.
Zzzzz!!!
Almost immediately, Morin felt his shield take a devastating blow. The Grim Reaper's scythe, transformed into a black-red light, flashed past him, and his Bone Dragon Boss shield sparked violently before shattering under the immense force. Morin was knocked back several steps but managed to regain his footing.
The scythe's power was terrifying. Morin could feel the crushing force as the Grim Reaper's attack struck with overwhelming strength. He had just regained his balance when the Grim Reaper reappeared before him, its scythe raised high for another swing.
"Rapid Sword!!!"
Asuna's voice cut through the tension, and in a burst of golden-cyan light, her Rapid Sword skill, amplified by the Holy Crystal, erupted like fireworks. The full force of the attack engulfed the Grim Reaper Boss.
But the Grim Reaper, with strength surpassing the original SAO version, was not so easily defeated. As it swung its scythe in response, a black light screen spread from the blade, covering its entire body. Even with the holy attribute bonus of Rapid Sword, the attack only reduced the Grim Reaper's first health bar by half.
Asuna, having completed her strike, swiftly retreated, narrowly avoiding the Grim Reaper's retaliatory swing. The black-red scythe sliced the air right in front of her, grazing her by a hair's breadth.
Though Asuna's reaction was swift, the shockwave from the Grim Reaper's attack still caused her to lose a portion of her health. Had the scythe struck her directly, it would have been devastating.
"Bang!!!"
Before the Grim Reaper could pursue Asuna, Morin leaped into action. A black shadow rushed to its side, and a dragon-bone shield slammed into the Grim Reaper, stunning it for a brief moment.
"Asuna! Get Yui to retreat! Prepare for a full assault!" Morin shouted, stepping forward to confront the Grim Reaper.
Without hesitation, Morin took out his trump card: the SAO special hidden skill, Precision. Although this skill was not present in the original SAO storyline, its effects were undeniable. Upon activation, Morin's perception sharpened, allowing him to process the environment and the Grim Reaper's movements as if in slow motion.
"The Grim Reaper's scythe is 7.21 meters long, and its swing extends an additional 0.3 to 0.35 meters in damage radius."
"The Grim Reaper's normal movement speed is 92.6% of Asuna's. Its attack speed is 71.23% of Asuna's, and its attack power is 326.79% of Asuna's, though the attached skill damage remains unknown."
Morin felt the flood of information pour into his mind, his understanding of the situation and his surroundings elevated to a new level. He took a half-step back, easily dodging the Grim Reaper's incoming scythe. Then, in one smooth motion, he advanced and tapped his longsword against the Grim Reaper's scythe, deflecting its swing and throwing off the creature's rhythm. The next attack missed by a wide margin, and Morin dodged again.
Asuna was quick to capitalize on the opportunity, instructing Yui to stay back while she charged forward, timing her strikes between Morin's attacks to keep the Grim Reaper off balance.
"Daddy... Mommy... why does Yui feel so familiar with this place?"
From the sidelines, Yui watched the battle unfold, her face etched with worry. As she gazed around the blackened plaza, a feeling of déjà vu washed over her. She could not shake the sensation that she had been here before.
Yui's emotions were a whirlwind, confusion and fear intermingling with vague memories that seemed to elude her. She stood still, observing, as the battle waged on.
On the battlefield, a tense stalemate persisted. Despite the Grim Reaper's overwhelming power and the activation of several special skills, Morin's defense, bolstered by his Precision skill and the Dragon Bone Shield, kept him safe. His attack speed was on par with Asuna's, making it impossible for the Grim Reaper to break through.
After nearly ten minutes of battling, the Grim Reaper's health had been reduced by three bars, and it roared in frustration, its golden mask shimmering ominously.
Buzz!!!
With a deafening sound, the Grim Reaper released a black sonic wave, its radius expanding to a hundred meters. Morin and Asuna were caught in its range and staggered, the world briefly fading to darkness as they felt their bodies stiffen.
A blood-red Debuff icon appeared on Morin's status bar, followed by the chilling message: "Suffering Soul Shriek, entering Stunned state."
"Not good!!!"
Seeing the abnormal state he had encountered, Morin's expression changed drastically and his heart turned icy cold.
Miscalculated. Morin had estimated that his and Asuna's combined strength could somehow fight the Grim Reaper Boss, and even after activating the Precision passive skill, Morin had directly entangled the Grim Reaper Boss, making it seem like they still had a chance of winning.
However, judging from the current situation, the Grim Reaper Boss had begun to enter its next state. The area of effect skill Soul Shriek it unleashed was clearly beyond expectations. Even though Morin and Asuna had used items and their own resistance to abnormal status effects and attributes were not bad, they still failed to immunize themselves against this high priority negative status.
"Daddy Mommy"
Before Morin's thoughts could turn around, he heard little Yui's concerned voice.
"That is"
Having just used a rare item to remove the negative status effect, Morin's peripheral vision caught sight of little Yui no longer just watching. Yui, wearing her gothic dress, had run to Asuna's side and even patted her Mommy Asuna, removing the negative status effect from Asuna herself.
Asuna had not noticed the change in Yui's situation. Seeing her recognized daughter Yui running to the edge of the battlefield, her first reaction was to pull Yui and try to leave the battlefield.
"Yui do not do anything foolish Take Mommy and hide to the side first"
Morin, however, noticed the unusual look on Yui's face, seeing a hint of sadness in her eyes. Recalling Yui's actions and the outcome here in the original SAO storyline, he immediately shouted sternly at Yui and Asuna.
Of course, Morin did not have time for just shouting slogans. As soon as he could move, he unleashed the strongest sword skill he possessed. Instantly crouching and adopting a sword and shield attack stance, the one handed longsword Morin held burst into dazzling light.
He then swung upward to collide with the suddenly falling scythe. However, at the moment the longsword's blade met the scythe's edge, Morin slightly deflected his longsword, tapping a point on the scythe's blade.
Only a piercingly sharp metallic clashing sound was heard, and a blinding shower of sparks erupted between the one handed longsword and the giant scythe. Morin himself retreated several meters like a ghost, his health bar suddenly dropping by about three percent.
However, the Grim Reaper, who had just swung its scythe, did not gain any advantage. After its original attack, which was supposed to directly hit Morin, was deflected, the annoying feeling of always missing the mark enraged the Grim Reaper, who had been suppressed for a while. Not only did the scythe in its hand turn dark red, but its attack speed also became even faster.
Morin himself was like a small boat in a storm, but he forcibly drew the Grim Reaper Boss's attention. Seeing that Morin had truly entangled the Grim Reaper Boss and was not in immediate danger, Yui, who had raised her fair little hand, stopped, then clasped her hands together and opened a several meter high gate of light at the edge of the plaza.
"Yui"
Seeing the gate of light opened by little Yui, Asuna, who had originally intended to help Morin, could not help but be stunned.
Even though Asuna did not know the true identity of little Yui, she knew that Yui's action was abnormal. How could such an ability appear on little Yui, who had always only shown the attributes of a cute mascot
"Mommy Trust me if we go in that guy will not be able to attack us"
Yui turned her head, looked at her mommy and daddy, and said somewhat anxiously.
Asuna looked at her daughter Yui seriously, and finding that Yui's gaze, apart from a trace of anxiety and worry for Morin, showed no hostility at all, she hesitated for a moment and then dismissed her doubts, following her daughter Yui and leaping into the gate of light in a few steps.
Having left the battlefield with her mommy Asuna, Yui did not bother to explain clearly to the completely bewildered and confused Asuna. She shouted towards Morin, who was struggling to hold on, "Daddy Hurry and come in"
"Okay"
At this time, Morin, realizing that the Grim Reaper Boss in its second form was getting stronger and stronger, had no intention of holding on. Without hesitation, he used a sword and shield combo to block the Grim Reaper's attack, then quickly retreated into the gate of light.
When the gate of light closed, the Grim Reaper, who had lunged and missed, finally realized that its enemies had completely disappeared.
However, apart from angrily roaring in the empty black plaza and using the scythe in its hand to create huge cracks in the ground, the Grim Reaper Boss could not find those few guys who had made it lose face.
On the other side, inside a square blank room, Morin, Asuna, and Yui looked at each other strangely.
Uh or perhaps more directly, Morin was using a recovery crystal with a calm expression, Asuna was glaring fiercely at Morin while hugging little Yui, and little Yui was looking at her mommy and daddy with some entanglement, only to have her little head rubbed in punishment by her mommy.
"Papa 'scuse"
Seeing her daddy watching the show nonchalantly, little Yui, who was having her face rubbed, looked at Morin very aggrievedly, reaching out her small hand and asking for help with unclear words.
"Alright Asuna little Yui did not do it on purpose"
When his daughter asked for help, Morin had no choice but to step in and mediate.
"Hmph"
Seeing that Morin had interceded, Asuna, whose anger had actually subsided a lot, let go of little Yui in her arms, then looked at Morin with a very unkind expression, her words seeming to carry the sound of grinding teeth, "Morin You should tell me now what is the situation with Yui and what exactly have you and Yui been hiding"
Before Asuna, who was truly a little angry at Morin for hiding things, could see Morin answer the question she had been holding back for a long time, she found her sleeve being tightly pulled by little Yui, and then heard words that shocked her.
"Mommy actually it is not Daddy's fault just now it is because I have recovered my previous memories"
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Try Other Fics I Have
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