Despite defeating XaXa, Rifat did not feel any sense of joy. It was clear to him that his guildmates were dying in large numbers.
The battle with XaXa had ended in just two minutes, but in that short amount of time, 'Dawn' had already lost a quarter of its players who had joined in the fight.
This was the greatest loss that 'Dawn' had ever experienced since the start of the game, and Rifat couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with grief.
Rifat realized that the situation was dire and he couldn't allow the fight to continue like this.
He made a quick decision and commanded the players whose health bars were already low to retreat, while he himself activated his third skill, 'self-sacrifice'.
With no regard for his own life, he charged into the horde of enemy players and began attacking them with all his might. His swift and powerful strikes caused the enemy players to fall in large numbers within seconds.
Rifat's aggressive behavior made many of the enemy players feel afraid, despite their elite status in the game. They had all been normal citizens just a year prior, and the fear of death still lingered in them.
Rifat used this to his advantage and commanded his guildmates who were already at full health to attack even more aggressively.
During the battle with XaXa, Rifat had lost a quarter of his health, and he had also taken several hits from other enemy players, which had depleted half of his health bar.
However, this had an unintended effect of increasing his attack power by 50%. With this newfound power, Rifat began to kill enemy players more efficiently than before.
Heathcliff observed that many players from his team were demoralized due to the death of XaXa and the heavy loss they suffered from the impressive combat skills of Rifat.
Some players were even considering retreating.
However, Heathcliff knew that allowing his team to retreat would hinder his plan to weaken Rifat's guild as much as possible, and perhaps even eliminate them.
Therefore, he decided to motivate his players and continue fighting to accomplish their goal.
Heathcliff, despite his desire to attack Rifat personally, was bound by the restrictions placed upon him.
In an attempt to provoke Rifat and his guild members, he tried several times to lure them into attacking him, but they refused to fall for his tactics.
Rifat had already commanded his guildmates not to listen to Heathcliff's provocations and to focus on the battle. Although his guildmates were initially confused, they ultimately obeyed Rifat's orders.
As a result, Heathcliff had no chance of joining the battle and was forced to watch from the sidelines as Rifat single-handedly slaughtered one player after another.
...
Rifat was panting heavily and appeared to be exhausted as he leaned on Asuna's shoulder for support.
His once formidable strength was now drained as he had used up all of the potions in his inventory to restore his health.
Recognizing that he can no longer contribute effectively to the battle, he decided to fall back and let Kirito and the others take on the remaining enemies.
Fortunately, Rifat managed to significantly lower the enemy's morale by single-handedly killing at least 10% of them. As a result, the pressure on Rifat's side wasn't as intense as it was in the beginning of the fight.
Rifat closed his eyes and rested his head on Asuna's bosom, feeling relieved that the remaining players would be able to hold on until reinforcements arrived.
...
Rifat's eyes opened again as he heard the sounds of footsteps approaching the boss room. Soon enough, he noticed that it was their reinforcement, arriving just in time to turn the tide of the battle in their favor.
The players from Dawn felt a wave of relief wash over them as the newly arrived players quickly surrounded the enemy players, attacking them with all their might without needing any orders from Rifat.
The once intense pressure on 'Dawn' now disappeared as the reinforcements took over the fight.
Heathcliff noticed the change in the situation and quickly called his forces back in order to minimize the losses, realizing that he would need them in the fight on the 100th floor.
As a result, the players from Knights of the Blood Oath and the red players alliance fell back. Rifat also ordered his guildmates to stop attacking, seeing that the battle was over.
Heathcliff looked at Rifat and said with a sly grin, "You never thought a day like this would come, did you?"
Rifat smiled back and responded, "I have to admit, you caught us off guard. You might think you've won today, but you'll soon regret it when we take revenge on you for what you did."
Although Rifat knew that Heathcliff was an AI, he played along as if he were speaking to a real person. He didn't want to give away any hint that he knew the truth about Heathcliff's identity.
"You want revenge? Then I will give you a chance. I will be waiting for you and your guild in the boss room of the 100th floor," Rifat responded confidently.
"What do you mean by waiting for us in the boss room?" Rifat pretended to be confused.
Heathcliff chuckled and said, "Hahaha.....I guess it is time to reveal my identity. Behold! I am the boss that you guys will be challenging in the 100th floor. If you want to clear this game and go to the real world, you will have to defeat the last hurdle of the game, which is me. If you can't do it, then I guess, you will have to spend the rest of your time in this game until you die."
Heathcliff's revelation left Rifat stunned for a moment. Rifat acted as if he couldn't believe that the man he had been fighting against all this time was the final boss of the game.
Nevertheless, Rifat composed himself quickly and replied, "Well, I guess we will see you there then. This time we will be ready kill when we face you, Heathcliff."
Heathcliff didn't care about Rifat's threat and gave out a menacing laugh as he revealed his true identity as the final boss of the game of SAO.
The announcement that Heathcliff was the final boss left not only Dawn, but also the players from both Knights of Blood Oath and the red players alliance, completely stunned.
Some were filled with intense hatred and glared at Heathcliff with the intention to kill him.
A few of the players couldn't control their anger and immediately tried to attack and kill Heathcliff, but their attempts were futile.
An impenetrable barrier rose up in front of Heathcliff, blocking the assaults as he easily counter-killed the attacking players.