"All B team members with full HP, get out here now!" Agil's voice thundered like a war drum. His shout echoed through the stone chamber, drowning out even the boss's roars and the distant clash of steel.
Ren turned his head. A few players behind him flinched, frozen in place, as if they hadn't yet grasped what was happening. Hesitation was written all over their faces, should they move forward, or fall back?
But Ren had no time for their fear. His eyes flicked toward them, then away, as if deciding who would live or die was just a matter of instinct.
His gaze locked onto Kirito. The boy was lying on his side on the cracked marble floor, straining against invisible chains.
Paralysis rippled through his limbs. His hands trembled intermittently, muscles twitching ever so slightly, as if his body were rebelling against itself. Though his eyes still burned with resolve, Kirito couldn't move a single inch.
Ren clenched his teeth. No time to slow down.
"Here. Give this to him, now." He pulled an HP potion from his inventory and tossed it to Asuna without any explanation.
Asuna caught it awkwardly, confused. She didn't quite understand what was happening, but she didn't hesitate. No questions. No doubt. She turned, sheathed her sword, and shot toward Kirito like a silver bolt.
Ren didn't look back. He had already turned to face the frontline again. But the sound of Asuna's footsteps, her boots pounding against stone, echoed behind him like a promise, that someone was still running toward their comrade.
Kirito barely had time to open his eyes before she reached him.
Without a word, Asuna dropped to her knees beside him, grabbed his head, and jammed the potion bottle into his mouth.
"G—!"
Momentum from her sprint sent nearly half the potion down Kirito's throat in an instant. He jerked violently, choking and coughing, trying to pull his head away as if he'd just been force-fed something vile. A muffled groan escaped his throat, like someone being strangled mid-sentence.
Panicking, Asuna tried to pull the bottle away, but Kirito had already batted her hand aside.
"Don't… don't try to surround it!" His voice was hoarse, but every word burst out like the final pulse from a soldier's dying heart.
"It's… about to use a sweeping skill. No one-on-one… Just defend...defend!"
The warning pierced through the chaos like a needle through cloth. A few players hesitated, glanced at one another. Then, a voice called back from the front lines:
"Got it…!"
Ren tightened his grip on his sword, eyes locked onto the monster before him. Sweat had started to drip from his shoulders, dotting the stone floor below.
"Are we… still fighting?" A voice broke the tension, small, but sharp enough to split the stagnant air.
"Fall back…" another said, weakly, uncertain, like even they weren't sure they believed what they'd just uttered.
"But… but they're still fighting, aren't they?" another player stammered, hands still gripping his weapon.
His eyes flicked toward the figures still battling at the front. The war between reason and instinct made his entire body tremble.
A few glanced at one another. Their eyes met in fleeting, uncertain moments. No one dared step forward. But no one had the courage to turn away completely either.
That was when a sharp voice sliced through the creeping fog of hesitation:
"Idiots," Lind stepped forward half a pace, scowling, disdain flickering in his eyes. "They're just waiting to steal the final blow. We have no reason to work with selfish bastards like that."
The air around them froze for an instant. Lind's words weren't just judgment, they carried fire. A barely-contained fury, bubbling up from old grudges not yet buried.
"Yeah…" someone muttered behind him, clinging to the excuse like a rope. "If they really wanted to help, Diavel wouldn't have died."
Lind didn't look back, but his shoulders twitched. From anger? Or restraint?
"I don't want to die either…" another voice added. Soft. Weak. But true.
That quiet confession was like a crack in glass, spreading wide. Someone gulped. Someone stared down at their shoes.
No one said another word...but feet began to withdraw from the edge of the battlefield, like a silent tide receding.
No official retreat was ordered.
Only a vague, smoldering fear guided them.
Darkness slowly spread, not just swallowing the weak light in the chamber, but eroding the will of every player still standing.
Even Ren still on his feet alongside Agil and a few others at the frontline, felt his arms going numb. His movements slowed… until even pain began to fade.
Each swing grew heavier, not because the boss was getting stronger, but because their resolve was growing weaker.
Something was cracking. Something invisible, but lethal.
He could feel it clearly… the raid group was teetering on the brink of collapse. No one said it aloud, but in the eyes of those around him...even the ones still holding the line, something had already shattered.
And just then, a voice rang out, clear, commanding, tearing through the heavy silence that had blanketed the room:
"EVERYONE, LISTEN!!!"
The shout echoed off the stone walls and into their hearts. Powerful. Unyielding.
All eyes turned.
The voice belonged to...Asuna.
The girl stood at the center of the room...small in stature, but with eyes sharp as a blade. She yanked her cloak aside, tearing it off.
The fabric dropped to the floor, revealing a beautiful face framed by long, shimmering chestnut hair that flowed down to her hips.
A face that, until now, few had even noticed, now became the center of attention. Not just because of her beauty, but because of the unwavering determination burning in her gaze.
"I will now convey the final order of Knight Diavel." Her voice wasn't loud, but each word rang clear and deep, as though spoken directly into everyone's chest.
"Asuna…" someone whispered, softly, tinged with surprise and joy… and maybe a hint of regret.
"He said… defeat the boss." She paused briefly, letting each word sink into their minds.
No one spoke. Only ragged breaths, the faint ring of metal beneath their feet, and the pounding of hearts filled the silence.
"Asuna… what is she doing…?" Ren muttered, his breath uneven. But he couldn't focus on her, the boss was still attacking.
"And one more thing." Asuna drew her rapier, the blade catching the faint glow of a nearby torch.
She stepped forward, gently placing the blade on Kirito's shoulder, who was still sitting motionless on the ground, sweat soaking his brow, his vision blurred from lingering paralysis.
"The next commander," she said, her voice firm as steel, "…will be this one."
A ripple of murmurs passed through the crowd, but no one dared object.
Kirito looked up, eyes wide, stunned, and confused. But within that gaze, a fire began to burn once again.
And for a brief moment, the darkness in the room seemed to retreat.
But… it still wasn't enough.
Asuna's words had been a spark...but the flame was still too small. It flickered among dying ashes, igniting only a few faint embers.
Not yet enough to burn away fear. Not yet enough to ignite the battlefield.
Ren gritted his teeth, twisting his body to dodge a sweeping slash from the boss. He rolled across the stone floor, his back slamming hard against the cold, unyielding ground. A heavy sound rang out, sharp as bone snapping.
Swallowing the pain, Ren took a deep breath, for the first time in what felt like minutes.
And then… he shouted, "I HEARD IT TOO!!"
His voice echoed across the room, tearing at his throat. But no one stopped him.
"THAT WAS DIAVEL'S FINAL ORDER!" he yelled again, pausing for breath, just as the boss raised its massive sword to strike.
Ren rolled away, dust and stone bursting around him...but he didn't stop.
He couldn't remember the last time he had ever shouted like that in front of others… maybe he never had.
But the feeling, it was new.
Like something had broken free from his chest. The doubt, the hesitation, the isolation, cast away with his scream.
And in their place… something else.
A bit of confidence. A bit of courage. Something he thought he'd lost.
"Furthermore…" A new voice rose, calm and steady, it was Kibou. "He knows the boss's skill set. If you can't believe in yourselves, then believe in Diavel."
A moment of silence passed.
"You think so too?" Agil turned back, flashing a small, surprising smile, filled with quiet resolve.
"Eyes front, Agil," another player said while knocking aside an incoming strike.
"They're right..." someone else added.
"Team A, regroup immediately!"
"Teams C and D! Can you still hold back the Sentinels?"
"I need a healing potion...now!"
"I've got one red vial! Anyone who needs it, get over here!"
And then… like a storm...
Everything surged.
No more hesitation. No more frozen feet. No more aimless stares.
The clash of steel echoed. Shadows charged forward again. Voices called out, and coordination started to form amidst the chaos.
The battlefield, which had seemed frozen in despair… was now alive again.
And this time, it wasn't just because of a command.
It was because of something far more important...a bit of courage, a bit of trust… and a flicker of flame rising toward a burning sky.
"Now…" Asuna turned back, her voice no longer one of encouragement, but of command. "…give the orders, Commander."
She bowed slightly, took Kirito's trembling hand, and pulled him to his feet, firm, without hesitation.
Her hair fell around her shoulders, her eyes resolute and unwavering.
Kirito looked at her, eyes wide...perhaps still unable to fully believe what was happening.
The chaos, the shouting, the ringing blades, all seemed to fade in that moment of silence just for him.
"I'm the commander…?" he murmured, almost not realizing he had said it aloud.
The paralysis still lingered, and his legs trembled, but the warmth in her hand remained.
He smiled awkwardly, unevenly...but genuinely.
"…I never thought it'd be my turn." Kirito inhaled deeply, gripping his sword tighter.
His eyes swept the battlefield, he saw Ren, saw Agil, saw the players charging back into the fight for a hope none of them could quite name.
"All right." Kirito's voice rang clear now, the voice of a true commander. "Team A, focus your pressure on the left side. Team B, split into two, one group blocks its sweeping attack, the other distracts it. Anyone with quick step skills, flank the Sentinels pull them off the boss!"
He turned to Ren, giving a small nod. "Keep doing what you're doing...maintain the tempo."
And finally, he looked at Asuna. "And you… I need you with me."
Asuna nodded, no words needed.