Sword Art Online: Moonlight Swordman.

The boss was a colossal creature, its four massive arms stretching out like towering pillars, its cloudy eyes devoid of any light or emotion.

Every movement it made seemed to tear through the air, leaving behind howling gusts of wind.

The withered crystals around them reflected light onto its golden scales, hard as metal, casting an eerie, unnatural glow.

Its soulless eyes scanned the intruders, as if piercing through every secret buried within their hearts.

But deep within that gaze... lay a chilling emptiness, a monster devoid of emotion, existing solely to destroy.

Each step it took shook the ground like thunder, its sharp claws shattering stones beneath them.

The joints on its arms twisted in unnatural ways, as if governed by some strange, otherworldly logic.

Its scorching breath came from the shadows, carrying a metallic scent as pungent as blood seeping from an old wound. The surrounding crystals quivered, reflecting the massive form of the beast.

Its cloudy eyes swiftly fixed on the weakest prey. Its enormous arms tightened, ready to deliver a devastating blow.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!!" Scholar shouted in panic. But it was too late—the boss's arm crashed down like a sledgehammer from hell...

"Ugh..."

A deafening clash echoed. An overwhelming force slammed into the Tanker, shattering his shield like thin glass.

His body was hurled through the air like a ragdoll, smashing into the stone wall behind him with a thunderous crash. The entire room quaked.

No time to scream. The Tanker staggered, his hand clawing at the ground as if trying to grasp at hope... but then, his body shattered into thousands of multicolored pixels, dissolving into the air.

A deathly silence fell.

"No way... just one hit?" Someone muttered in horror.

Legs trembled, nearly giving out. The group huddled together, inching toward the dimming light of the dying crystals.

The boss greeted them with a roar. It leaped into the air.

Its four arms came together like massive hammers, crashing down with the force of a falling sky.

The stone floor cracked, fissures snaking along the ground toward the walls.

"Everyone in position! Tanker, keep exactly three paces away. DON'T act rashly!" Scholar commanded, his voice sharp and unwavering.

The surviving players, though hesitant, quickly formed a formation.

Ren stood behind the shield line, his body tense. In front of him, the colossal silhouette of the boss loomed like a nightmare.

Its heavy breath, reeking of metal, seeped into his skin, tightening around his lungs like an invisible vice.

Was it just an illusion... or something more?

Its breaths poured from the dark, bottomless mouth like a toxic mist that numbed the senses.

Ren gripped his weapon, trying to steady his breathing.

Ready to attack on command.

The boss's cloudy eyes gleamed with deadly intent, its four massive arms rising as if ready to crush everything.

The boss roared. The space trembled as its arms lifted high, joints twisting unnaturally, as if its existence defied all reason.

"TANKS, SHIELDS UP NOW!"

Scholar's shout cut through the chaos. He only needed a glance to read the attack's trajectory.

BOOM!!!

The blow landed like a lightning strike.

The ground shattered. The shockwave rippled through the air, shaking even those behind the shield line.

"Urgh…" Ren gritted his teeth. He could hear the Tankers grinding their teeth as their arms quivered under the immense pressure.

Their legs buckled... but they pressed forward, gripping their shields as if their lives depended on it.

"ATTACK NOW! Use the recoil from the shield to stun it!"

The damage dealers surged forward.

No one was left but Tarek and Scholar.

Tarek roared, eyes burning with bloodlust.

His axe crashed down with all his strength, sparks flying as it collided with the golden scales.

But... it couldn't penetrate.

CLANG! CLANG!

Powerful strikes, yet they only left minor cracks. Tarek's brows furrowed.

Scholar moved like a shadow.

He dodged a sweeping arm by a hair's breadth, the gust lifting his hair, but his eyes remained cold and calculating.

"Aim for the gaps between the scales! Don't waste energy on the outer armor!"

A spear thrust straight into the crevice between the scales. Black blood spurted out.

The boss howled in fury.

Scholar's lips curled into a smirk, his eyes gleaming. "Just like in the beta..."

He retreated behind the shield line.

BOOM.

All four of the boss's arms were blocked by the shields.

"Aim for the ruby on its chest NOW!" Scholar shouted, thrusting his spear at the boss's chest.

Ren swallowed hard, teeth clenched as he drove his spear into the boss's chest.

CLANG!

The spear bounced back.

The ruby on the boss's chest remained unscathed. It was as if Ren had struck a wall of solid steel.

"What?!" Ren gasped.

Scholar froze. His eyes flickered, just for a brief moment.

"No... it can't be...!" Scholar whispered, his voice losing its earlier confidence.

In the beta, that ruby was the boss's weak point. One precise strike would stun it, making it vulnerable.

But this time... it didn't work.

A cold chill ran down Ren's spine.

Scholar could be wrong.

'No… impossible. It just wasn't strong enough. That must be it!' Scholar's thought flickered, but he quickly dismissed it.

Nothing happened. One second. Two seconds. Ren tightened his grip on his spear, his palms drenched in sweat. Then...

CRACK!

A tiny fracture spread across the ruby's surface. The monster howled and leaped back.

Scholar exhaled in relief. But then his eyes sharpened, watching the creature's movements carefully...

"Good! Keep attacking... then it'll try to protect the gem on its chest. We just need to..." Scholar began to shout his order, but then...

One of the boss's colossal arms suddenly swept across, faster than any of its previous movements.

"Dodge...!" Scholar yelled, but it was too late.

BOOM!

A Tanker's body slammed into the wall, blood spraying out for an instant—then shattered into thousands of multicolored pixels.

Instant death.

Ren stood frozen. In the blink of an eye, someone was erased.

"Damn it!" Tarek roared, charging with all his might.

His axe swung down, slicing at the monster's neck, but...

CLANG!

The sound rang out sharply, as if he had struck a solid block of steel.

"What?!" Tarek's eyes widened.

The boss was unscathed. But then, from deep within the golden scales, a fierce red light began to glow.

Its muscles twitched, four arms trembling slightly...

Scholar noticed this too. A flicker of panic flashed in his eyes.

"This isn't right... its speed..."

The boss roared again, its four arms raised high, aiming directly at the remaining group.

It no longer behaved as it did in the beta.

Scholar tightened his grip on the spear, his palms slick with sweat.

His data... was no longer accurate.

The boss roared.

Its four massive arms swelled, muscles coiling as if ready to explode. The golden scales reflected the faint red light from the cracked ruby on its chest.

Then... it disappeared.

Ren's eyes widened.

'What the hell…? Where... where did it go?!'

A strong gust of wind swept by.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Scholar shouted.

But it was too late.

BAM!

A player was torn apart, his body flung through the air by one of the colossal arms, like a rag doll. Before he could scream, he disintegrated into pixels.

One more down.

Chaos engulfed them.

"EVERYONE FALL BACK! Keep your distance! DO NOT attack close anymore!" Scholar screamed, but his voice lacked the firmness it had before.

The boss was nothing like the beta version.

Ren felt a chill run down his spine.

Tarek gritted his teeth, gripping the axe handle. "Dammit! You said to hit the gem, now what?!"

Scholar didn't immediately answer. He was trying to hide his panic.

Ren could see the sweat running down Scholar's forehead.

His data was wrong.

Now there were only five left—two tanks, Tarek, Scholar, and Ren...

The air was suffocating, and once again... the boss disappeared.

"Focus...," Scholar yelled hoarsely.

The group huddled together in a tight circle. The glowing crystal in the room had gone dark.

The light from the crystal had vanished, as if it had recognized the hopelessness of the survivors. Something... had died in that room, not just the light.

Perhaps all efforts were in vain. Whether they fought or not, their fate had been sealed the moment they entered.

The boss vanished into the darkness of the room. The sound of metal clinking from its scales also disappeared. The tremors from the creature's movements seemed to have never existed.

Everything...

Silently despairing.

The air was heavy, as if every breath they took was being suffocated, compressed in their chests.

Ren felt cold sweat trickling down his forehead, his heart pounding wildly, but he couldn't breathe deeply, as though something was pressing down on his chest.

The silence felt like a challenge, as if the monster was watching, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Every tiny noise in the darkness, even their own breath, startled them.

Scholar began to move, grabbing Ren's arm and slowly walking through the darkness.

Ren was terrified, but followed silently, and Tarek noticed the movement of the two. His rough hand violently squeezed Ren's shoulder. At the same time, he pulled along the remaining two subordinates.