Kato teleported back to Glocken and resupplied at his apartment. The connection between the building in the blizzard and the dungeon was clear now. Kato teleported himself and Rei over to the rappel lines and went down the ropes. He pushed through the bottleneck portion and came into the large open area. Kato shielded his face from the snow blowing into his face. His goggles slowly marked out the terrain with black grid lines. The snow stuck to Kato's cold-weather gear and weapon. The pair trudged through the snow and reached the crossroads they stopped at last time. He found the group standing there slightly disappointed with their performance.
"Is everyone okay?" Kato asked, "How's the progress?"
"We didn't make much but we found this large building's purpose," Rain filled me in, "It seems to take a certain frequency and amplifies it to a louder volume. In essence, the platform is a sonic weapon."
Kureha stepped beside me and stared at me. She pestered me with questions about whether Kato was taking the time to rest and take care of himself. Kato shooed her questions away and asked if anything else had changed other than the blizzard being stronger near the building.
"If it is a sonic weapon, then we have to use that to our advantage when it comes to destroying this thing," Kureha mentioned.
"But how do we use it?" Kato asked.
"It only works if the sound has rhythm and melody to it," Seven responded, "So a song would be perfect!"
Kato's singing skills were bad and he knew it. Before he could be voluntold to do it, he asked:
"Okay, who wants to go up there?"
"I'll go," Seven volunteered, "And you can come with me too, Rain."
"Me?" Rain exclaimed.
"Yeah, you've been training to be an idol weren't you?" Seven teased, "Why don't you show Kato your singing skills sis?"
Seven pushed Rain to the area and ignored her protestations. The duo stood on the platform and stared towards the building. After a few seconds, he started to hear a few bars of Yuna's song from the Stadium.
"Wow," Kureha commented, "They're harmonizing pretty well."
Kato heard the shifting snow behind him. When he turned around, he saw five large silhouettes approaching their area. Kato perched himself on a nearby rock. He took out a Minimi and inserted the 100-round casket magazine into the weapon.
"We have contact!" Kato shouted, "Six o'clock!"
Kato moved his gloved finger into the trigger guard and started to shoot at the silhouettes. The orange tracers pierced through the snow and impacted the black figures. They barely seemed to flinch. He quickly attached thermal extension to the magnified scope on his gun.
"Woah! An epic battle with this music background? Sweet!" Pito cheered.
She took out an RPK and asked Kato to call out targets. Kato quickly activated a green laser and it pierced through the flowing snow. Pito followed the laser and attacked the same targets as Kato. The first monster fell but more were on the way. Kato heard the magazine go dry and he ducked back into cover.
"How are we doing on that machine?" Kato shouted while inserting the second casket magazine into the SAW.
"We're trying! We can't make enough noise!" Rain replied, "We need a third!"
"Looks like I don't have a choice then..." Pito sighed.
"We have to get this storm under control. Do what you have to."
Kato got back onto the rock and started shooting once again. He was more concerned about holding this position rather than who was singing. Unbeknownst to him, Yuna had stepped up onto the platform and joined the two girls. Over the sounds of gunfire and explosions, a trio of girls was harmonizing. Their voices started soft, but over time, they became louder and louder. The snow started to flow slower than before. Kato took the stock out of his shoulder and listened to the song.
"The harmony is incredible!" Kureha said while staring at the trio.
The monsters stood still for a moment. Kato used the opportunity to grab the laser designator on his pistol. He aimed the laser at the center of the incoming group. The location data was broadcasted and a rocket appeared from the heavens. The rocket fell to the ground and exploded as the final bar of notes played. A shockwave exploded from the platform the singers were on. The wave passed through the blizzard and the snow stopped swirling. The building's corkscrew stopped spinning and the lights started to fade. The snow fell to the ground lightly and the twilight sky was starting to show.
"Is the quest over?" Rain asked, "Did you guys get a reward?"
Everyone checked their inventory quickly and saw no change. Soon after, Pito and Fuka started to go into a fit and complained about who had the rare item. Kato knew that the rare item was with Kirito's side in the Ruins. However, he couldn't say that he knew where the item was without being branded as a hoarder.
"I know!" Pito shouted, "We're going to kill all of the enemies in the area. They ought to have the item! Who's with me."
While the group was deliberating, Yuna snuck away from the group. Kato noticed her departure and tailed her. When they were some ways away from the group, Kato asked why she left. Yuna requested to live out the rest of her days here.
"It was a pleasure to see you again," Yuna said.
Yuna left the area while Kato watched. Rei ran up to Kato and started to pull on his sleeve. She reminded him about Sachi and Kirito. While the remaining people were still discussing team positions, Kato and Rei had left them. They arrived back at the door and Eiji filled Kato in on what was happening.
"The ice on the door is gone," he said, "Thanks to your efforts, we're one step away from the boss."
"We have to get to it though," Asuna said, "The cold air is starting to hurt us."
Kato looked at Sachi and noticed her struggling to breathe. Kato walked up to the door and started to decode the lock. After a few seconds, the doors gave way to a hallway. On the other side, a teleporter stood. Kato checked his map data and noticed that it was the pathway to the boss.
"We have to get going," Kato motioned with his LMG.
The group charged into the teleporter and found themselves on a platform surrounded by three walls. The fourth side was open to the elements and what descended from the heavens was a cyborg-humanoid creature wielding a spear. At the corners of the platform, two spheres hovered three meters above the surface.
"Let's go!"
