The events that occurred outside the entrance to the 27th-floor labyrinth zone quickly spread across ALO and the internet.
As the frontline labyrinth zone entrance, the battleground between Rozen and the joint forces led by the Salamander leader naturally couldn't avoid being seen by other players. The moment Rozen clashed with them, players who witnessed the scene immediately recorded the entire event using in-game recording tools and uploaded it to the internet.
This upload instantly set the online community ablaze.
Watching Rozen single-handedly slaughter a joint force of 49 elite players from multiple large-scale raiding guilds with the ease of slicing through vegetables left everyone in shock.
"This can't be real, can it?"
"Is it even possible for a player to be this strong?"
"My god, are we even playing the same game?"
"I'm speechless. One person defeated an entire elite joint force like it was nothing."
"He's unstoppable."
"Is this the true strength of the Magus?"
Players passionately discussed the spectacle.
This was the first time Rozen had showcased such overwhelming power in front of everyone.
Although many players already knew that Rozen was the strongest player in ALO, having consistently won multiple tournaments and never losing in one-on-one duels—even soloing floor bosses successfully—those achievements were all in one-on-one settings.
During the old ALO era, Rozen had once faced Eugene's 68-man Salamander elite force alone. However, since no one recorded the incident and it ended inconclusively, no one outside the parties involved knew the details or the outcome.
This time, seeing Rozen dominate an elite joint force with such ease left players dumbfounded.
Those who had followed the GGO incident, however, were not surprised.
"A 49-man joint force? That's nothing."
"Back in GGO's Death Canyon, this Rozen single-handedly countered an ambush by over a hundred players."
"And that's not counting all the ambushes outside the main circle that he effortlessly turned into counter-kills. Forty-nine players? Please."
"Exactly."
These players brushed it off.
And indeed, the facts supported them.
In GGO, Rozen had similarly faced a massive ambush of players alone and still came out victorious. While the GGO ambushers included only a portion of truly elite top-tier players, not as many as the 49 elites he just defeated, many of them were BoB-ranked players in the top 30. Even with such a lineup, their ambushes still failed. Given this, Rozen achieving a similar feat again wasn't shocking to those in the know.
What truly dazzled everyone, however, were the sword skills Rozen employed in this battle.
—Dubhe.
—Merak.
—Phecda.
—Megrez.
—Alioth.
Five unique original sword skills, each shining brilliantly with dazzling effects, unfolded one by one like a scene from a cinematic action film. They were as powerful as they were breathtaking, capturing the hearts of countless viewers.
Most notably, Rozen's final display—a commanding declaration and the execution of the Alkaid sword skill—sent the online community into a frenzy.
"So that's the seventh star of the Big Dipper!"
"Thirteen consecutive hits!"
"Absolutely amazing!"
"Although it's not the fourteen-hit finale some speculated, thirteen hits are already terrifying!"
"Is there even a sword skill with such a high hit count?"
"No existing sword skill, either system-generated or original, can compare!"
"This is, without a doubt, ALO's most powerful sword skill!"
For a time, such statements flooded the internet.
With incredible speed, the Alkaid skill of Rozen's Big Dipper series was recognized as the strongest sword skill in ALO and became known to all players.
Many players who saw the video were left in awe.
"A two-hit combo, four-hit combo, six-hit combo, eight-hit combo, ten-hit combo, twelve-hit combo, and now this thirteen-hit combo?"
"All seven original sword skills have now been revealed."
"Previously, so many people claimed it was impossible for the Magus to create seven original sword skills, let alone believe the final two could surpass ten hits. Now what?"
"Who's doubting now?"
Players heatedly discussed the performance, and the buzz showed no signs of dying down.
Naturally, those familiar with Rozen also saw the video.
"Thirteen consecutive hits… this is his true limit…" Kirito muttered, watching the meteor-like sword skill displayed in the video.
"Of course, my brother is just a monster," Kirigaya Suguha puffed her cheeks.
"I knew that guy was deliberately hiding things just to shock everyone later," Lis rolled her eyes.
"Rozen-nii is incredible," Silica admired with a starry-eyed gaze.
"As expected of the guild leader," Sachi said in sincere reverence.
Meanwhile, Klein and Agil were already yelling.
"Damn it! Keeping such an amazing original sword skill hidden all this time is just too much!" Klein raged.
"A skill like that is worth a fortune! Rozen should make some skill tomes for sale! Even if it's not the thirteen-hit combo, selling the earlier combos would still be insane!" Agil was green with envy.
Amid the commotion, an apology letter appeared online.
It was jointly issued by the guild leaders and executives of the Salamander leader's guild and its allied guilds.
"We deeply apologize for the unwarranted offense against the Crimson Wing guild leader. The fault lies entirely with us for failing to discipline our guild members properly and allowing such disrespectful behavior. We will impose strict punishments on those responsible."
This apology letter clearly conveyed one thing: they had admitted defeat.
After witnessing Rozen's power and the strength of the Big Dipper series, their morale had undoubtedly plummeted.
If one Rozen alone could annihilate their elite joint force, what chance would they have in an all-out war against a guild like Crimson Wing, filled with top-tier players?
Without their elite players, how could they contend with such overwhelming strength?
Thus, their capitulation was expected. If they didn't, they risked being targeted by Crimson Wing and facing far worse consequences.
From this point on, it was likely they wouldn't dare to openly challenge Crimson Wing again.
And with that, this matter was resolved.
Soon after, another piece of news emerged.
"The 27th-floor boss has been defeated!"
In other words, the 27th floor had been cleared.
The names of the players who defeated the floor boss were displayed on the Monument of Swordsmen in the Black Iron Palace in the Town of Beginnings on the 1st floor.
The names were: Yuuki, Jun, Tecchi, Talken, Nori, Siune, and Asuna.
The Sleeping Knights had achieved their goal.
But the story was far from over.