The shockwave, like a tsunami, surged towards them.
The ground was ripped open layer by layer, and shattered rocks flew.
Kirito instinctively rolled to the left; the scorching heatwave grazed his back, and his HP instantly dropped a small notch.
Chen Mo, however, did not dodge.
Instead of retreating, he stepped forward.
The Blade of Perseverance sliced out a perfectly precise arc, like a surgeon's scalpel cutting a tumor, and forcefully pierced into the most chaotic energy node of the shockwave.
Whoosh!
The rampant energy was forcibly torn open, creating a gap, and surged past him on both sides of his body.
"Don't space out, he's coming!"
Chen Mo's roar, like a splash of ice water, instantly jolted Kirito awake.
In his vision, the five-meter-tall massive body had already transformed into a red afterimage.
Furious Charge!
The giant door-sized axe let out a piercing whoosh as it cut through the air, locked onto Chen Mo, and slammed down on his head!
The wind pressure almost made Kirito unable to breathe.
He had no doubt that this attack was enough to vaporize any tank class, human and shield alike!
Chen Mo still did not retreat.
Just a split second before the axe blade fell, he pushed off with his toes, and his body shifted half a meter to the left at an almost impossible angle.
The axe blade grazed the edge of his trench coat and crashed to the ground with a thunderous impact.
Boom!!!
The entire arena trembled violently; a terrifying deep pit exploded at Chen Mo's feet, and spiderweb-like cracks spread across the whole floor.
"Now!"
Chen Mo's voice was extremely calm; the Blade of Perseverance had already stabbed like a venomous snake towards Ograph's waist, which was exposed due to his exertion.
An opportunity!
Kirito's brain didn't even have time to think; his body had already reacted purely out of combat instinct.
The Meteor transformed into a dark blue electric flash, stabbing from another blind spot towards the BOSS's stumbling hind leg.
-12500!
-7800!
Two distinctly different damage numbers floated up.
Ograph's HP bar visibly dropped a segment.
Kirito's pupils constricted; this was the absolute suppression brought by level and equipment.
"Roar—!"
The intense pain completely enraged Ograph; he swung his giant axe in a wide, sweeping arc.
Kirito hastily retreated; the strong wind generated by the axe blade stung his cheeks.
"Maintain your attack distance, don't get greedy!"
Chen Mo's command rang out again, and he himself had already ghost-like, closed in on the BOSS once more.
His combat was simply an art.
Every attack was timed a second before the BOSS's skill animation started.
Every dodge seemed to be a premonition of the landing point.
Kirito tried his best to keep up with his rhythm, but the shock in his heart grew deeper and deeper.
This guy... is he really playing a game?
This isn't prediction; this is... foreseeing the future!
"Axe Storm!"
Ograph let out a roar, his body transforming into a destructive red whirlwind, and a violent axe shadow enveloped the entire arena.
"Follow my steps closely!"
Chen Mo's voice came from within the storm, and one of his hands suddenly grabbed Kirito's collar.
Left.
Right.
One step forward, half a step back.
Kirito was passively pulled along; he could only see Chen Mo's black trench coat weaving through the impenetrable axe shadows, each time avoiding death by millimeters.
He couldn't even think; he could only entrust everything to the man in front of him.
Ten seconds, as long as a century.
The storm suddenly ceased.
Ograph's HP had already fallen below seventy percent.
"Good rhythm."
Chen Mo finally caught a breath, and fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead.
Only then did Kirito realize that even someone as strong as Chen Mo was not without pressure when facing such a monster.
The battle continued at a suffocating pace.
At fifty percent HP, the BOSS's attack speed doubled.
At thirty percent HP, the BOSS's attack power surged.
Kirito's HP dropped below the warning line several times, each time only managing to frantically chug potions at Chen Mo's furious shouts.
Meanwhile, Chen Mo's HP bar remained as steady as a rock.
It wasn't that he couldn't get hurt.
It was that he simply didn't give the BOSS a chance to hurt him.
"Last sliver of HP left."
Chen Mo's voice, for the first time, carried a serious tone.
"He's going berserk. Remember, no matter what happens, stay away from me."
No sooner had he spoken.
"Roar——————!"
Amidst a deafening roar, Ograph's HP bar completely turned deep red.
His body swelled again, muscles bulging, bone spurs piercing through his skin, and the flames in his eyes almost erupted.
Clang!
He threw away his giant axe, now bare-handed, but the destructive oppressive feeling was ten times stronger than before!
"This is... berserk."
Kirito gripped the Meteor, his knuckles turning white from excessive force.
He felt no fear, only a trembling excitement.
He was about to witness, firsthand, this man's true full power.
Ograph moved.
No skills, no moves, just the purest, most primitive violence.
A fist the size of a sandbag, accompanied by a sonic boom, slammed towards Chen Mo.
Chen Mo took a deep breath.
Kirito saw that his sword-wielding posture had changed.
If the previous Chen Mo was a sharp sword, then at this moment, he was swordsmanship itself.
Facing that punch capable of shattering mountains, Chen Mo did not dodge.
He raised the Blade of Perseverance.
He was actually going to... take it head-on!
Boom—!!!
The moment sword and fist collided, the piercing sound of twisting metal almost tore Kirito's eardrums.
He witnessed a sight he would never forget in his life.
Chen Mo, with that slender one-handed sword, directly blocked the BOSS's full-power attack!
The sword body bent into a terrifying arc, letting out a groan of unbearable strain, yet it did not break.
The flagstones beneath Chen Mo's feet cracked inch by inch, and his feet were pushed by the immense force, plowing two deep furrows in the ground.
But he did not fall.
"Now!"
Chen Mo squeezed out two words from his throat, his arm muscles bulging, and he suddenly exerted force to push the BOSS away.
This was the opening!
Kirito's nerves were stretched to their limit; the Meteor transformed into a vengeful blue lightning bolt, precisely piercing into Ograph's chest, which was exposed due to his excessive exertion!
-13000!
Fatal blow!
Ograph's HP was down to its last sliver.
"It's over."
Chen Mo's voice rang out, and he himself had already leaped high into the air.
On the Blade of Perseverance, brilliant golden light soared into the sky, condensing into a gigantic sword shadow that seemed capable of cleaving heaven and earth.
"Slash."
No fancy skill name, just a cold word.
The golden pillar of light descended vertically, silently piercing through Ograph's massive body, completely engulfing him.
[System Notification: Blood Chief Ograph has been defeated!]
[Experience gained: 250000]
[ke'er gained: 65000]
[Special Reward: Golden Ring "Mark of Blood"]
[Tenth Floor Strategy completed!]
[Congratulations on becoming the first player duo in SAO history to clear the Tenth Floor BOSS!]
As the light faded, the BOSS's figure had vanished into countless fragments.
Inside the arena, there was a deathly silence.
Kirito stood rooted to the spot, replaying every frame of the just-concluded battle in his mind.
Every cooperation, every command, was like dancing on the edge of a knife.
Any minor mistake, and both of them would have turned into crystal fragments.
But they won.
"How does it feel?"
Chen Mo sheathed his sword, his face devoid of any joy, terrifyingly calm.
Kirito slowly turned his head, looking at the man who had single-handedly created a miracle.
"I understand."
"Understand what?"
"What the 'truth' you spoke of actually is."
Kirito raised the Meteor in his hand, its blade reflecting his incredibly serious face.
"This kind of battle is indeed not something we can participate in right now."
He paused, his voice filled with an unprecedented resolve.
"But I will catch up to you."
Chen Mo looked at him, and a faint curve finally appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Just then.
A series of hurried and chaotic footsteps approached from the arena's exit, growing louder.