Accel World (先飞看刀) Accel World Vol 4 Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Night.

A huge pale disc shone brightly in the black sky.

The ground, the buildings, everything was a white stripped of color. It wasn’t colorlessness, but the color of dry bone. Square houses casted distinct shadows over the wide road. Over there, the s.h.i.+njuku sub-center, which had changed into a spiral-formed chalk spire, rose so high it seemed to pierce the sky.

“…The «Moonlight» stage, huh.”

Tak.u.mu—Cyan Pile murmured that after looking around at this virtual world’s Western Tokyo.

Haruyuki also quickly listed the features of this stage that he remembered.

“It’s bright, but you can see almost nothing within the shadows. Sound carries over a far distance. There are few Enemies. Trap-type terrain effects also don’t exist…”

“In open s.p.a.ces, unexpected attacks from hiding places are almost impossible. Using the school campus was a correct choice after all.”

After nodding to each other, they glanced behind them.

In this empty white s.p.a.ce whose was basis the living room of the Arita home, the vivid emerald and s.h.i.+ning «Lime Bell» stood silently as well beneath the moonlight.

There was no change in her outward appearance since they had seen her on Tuesday. However, by doing an enormous number of duels over only two days and winning completely in all of them, she had already reached the same Level 4 as Haruyuki and Tak.u.mu.

Though, because there had been an interminably long time since they had become Level 4, there was probably a wide difference in total point acquisition between the two of them who would soon reach Level 5 and Chiyuri, but her potential at least must be equivalent to theirs.

While catching up that close to them in a short period of time, Chiyuri who served as Noumi’s healer/bait had surely been exposed to all kinds of attacks from countless Burst Linkers. Haruyuki also understood just how painful those harsh, difficult experiences must have been.

However, Chiyuri stood right in front of the two of them with movements that didn’t betray her fatigue at all, and she spoke only a short sentence.

“Let’s go.”

And then, without hesitating, she jumped down from the high terrace that corresponded to the 23rd floor of the original apartment building. She descended from slightly lower terraces and decorated scaffolds to the ground. There was not a fragment of newbie awkwardness in her movements either.

Haruyuki and Tak.u.mu looked at each other once again, and after reflexively smiling bitterly, they also jumped down in the same way.

The three of them avoided the main road they usually used when commuting to school, and instead went by back roads at a half-run. While paying attention to their surroundings, Haruyuki and Tak.u.mu destroyed suitable objects and filled up their special technique gauges.

They didn’t go straight into the school, but first came out onto the roof of the family restaurant on the other side of Oume Street, and confirmed the status of the dual location from behind cover.

Umesato Middle School had changed into a form like a European palace from the Middle Ages. In what could be described as Gothic-style, huge pillars were placed in a row in the front, and many statues of angels or demons protruded out from the surface of the walls.

After concentrating his eyes to see that there were no other duel avatars there and confirming that everything there was made of stone, Haruyuki looked at the schoolyard once again.

The large grounds had become a garden intricately covered with small tiles. There were no objects there at all, and only a spear-like tower that stood at the southern end—originally the support pole of a ball fence had a long and thin shadow that stretched over the ground.

“…There doesn’t seem to be anyone hidden there.”

Haruyuki murmured that, and Tak.u.mu nodded.

“Yeah…But, Noumi isn’t there either…His Dive should only have been delayed by half a second…”

“If he doesn’t come after five minutes, let’s temporarily retreat away from Koenji Station…No, wait.”

At that moment, a very faint wind noise reached Haruyuki’s ears. Since the stage was completely still, something must be moving the air. A flying-type Enemy—or, a flying-type avatar.

As Haruyuki quickly looked up to the sky in the southwest, his whole body hardened the instant he looked.

A silhouette was approaching in the night sky filled with small twinkling stars while being palely illuminated by the moonlight.

A thin body. Claws on his hands. And devilish wings extending out on his back.

“Nou…mi…”

As Haruyuki groaned that name out unconsciously, the avatar started descending as if being pulled by his voice. He folded his arms, drew a graceful spiral through the air and alighted down in the center of the schoolyard.

His landing was almost silent. Just by seeing that manner and posture, Haruyuki could tell that Noumi had already completely mastered the operation of flight ability.

This avatar with the attribute of «robbing» slowly folded his wings and stopped moving there.

Once again, complete silence filled the world.

Haruyuki’s sense couldn’t grasp any changes either. No movements of stealthy approach, no footsteps creeping in at a blind spot, nothing.

After waiting more than a full minute, Haruyuki whispered.

“…Let’s go.”

After Tak.u.mu nodded next to him, they rose at the same time and jumped down to the road. Hearing their footsteps, Dusk Taker quickly turned his face towards them.

While he gazed right at them, Haruyuki and the others entered the grounds of Umesato Middle School through the gate, and then went around the end of the school building and headed towards the schoolyard.

The footsteps of the three of them make a hard sound on the tiles. The moonlight clearly etched their shadows into the ground.

Chiyuri did not go into the schoolyard, but instead walked along the southern wall of the school building and then stood quietly within its shadow. Haruyuki and Tak.u.mu headed straight towards the center of the wide s.p.a.ce.

Stopping about 20 meters away from Dusk Taker who was standing in the center, Haruyuki threw a silent look at him.

After taking that look for a few seconds, Noumi unfolded his arms in front of his chest and lightly spread them out left and right.

“…Just like I said you could extend the time as many times as you wished, I’m definitely the only one here!”

The boy’s voice, which was tinged with a metallic effect, resounded lightly through the pale world.

“I didn’t think you would prolong it so long, senpai! Is that being cautious, or distrustful, I wonder…?”

“It’s because we’ve already learned that we can never be careful enough against you.”

After letting out a short ‘Kukuku’ laugh at Haruyuki’s retort, Nomi stuck out his right hand in front of him.

There was a card in between his fingertips. It looked similar to the item that the Yellow King, Yellow Radio had used before to replay a video of the past, but this one was red like blood. Haruyuki had heard that the special items sold at the «shops» within the Unlimited Neutral Field were mostly in the form of cards like that.

Noumi showed it to Haruyuki and Tak.u.mu, and then spoke.

“This is, just as its names says, a «Sudden Death Duel Card». It cost a fairly high price, but consider it my treat.”

He gave another ‘Kuku’ laugh.

“…First, I charge all of the points I have into this. The remaining two dueler frames are set as a team, so you two need to bet your respective points as well. If both of you have survived by the time my HP gauge reaches zero, all of the points charged into it will be equally distributed to you two. If only one of you remains, the winner takes it all. And when I beat the two of you, I’ll get all your points.”

“In other words, in the case that the two of us survive together, we won’t have to fight each other, right?”

“Exactly. Well, this is a little bit of consideration. It’s important…”

Noumi brandished the card around once again, and spoke.

“This duel won’t end until someone dies. And those that die will definitely lose Brain Burst. There is no exception to this at all. I’ll say this now, but if you «retreat» through a portal, it will be treated as your loss at that moment. At the same time as you return to reality, the forced uninstall will activate.”

“…I see.”

Nodding, Haruyuki looked at Tak.u.mu.

Cyan Pile’s eyes s.h.i.+ned strongly behind the slits on his mask for a moment, and he firmly nodded his head.

“All right, that’s fine.”

Noumi slowly nodded to Haruyuki’s words, and then touched the card with the fingertip of his left hand. After he operated it a bit, the card s.h.i.+ned a bright crimson for a moment.

He then threw the card to Tak.u.mu, who caught it and touched it the same as Noumi had done, causing it to s.h.i.+ne again.

Tak.u.mu threw the card to Haruyuki, who then held it between the fingers of his right hand.

After taking a big breath, he clicked on it with his left hand. A holo-window was displayed in the center, and he touched the charge b.u.t.ton.

After the explanation of the Sudden Death rules in a blunt font flowed down the screen, a confirmation dialog of Yes/No appeared. Yes.

When the exceedingly blunt Brain Burst system then once again asked the usual ‘Is this really okay?’, Haruyuki finally understood the reality that this was the edge of the edge of the point of death. Though he should have been detached from his real body, his back quickly grew cold. At the same time as his limbs became numb, virtual adrenaline was released into his blood vessels.

However, of course, he chose Yes.

The card s.h.i.+ned an even more dazzling blood-like color and—it lifted up from Haruyuki’s hand and floated up to a slightly higher position.

The digital numbers of a countdown slowly rotated around it.

If this duel was made widely known in Accel World, an amazing number of gallery viewers would surely gather here. Although half a year had pa.s.sed since Haruyuki had become a Burst Linker, he hadn’t heard any talk about something like a Sudden Death Duel where you betted all your points.

—No.

That’s not right. He had heard of it.

The king of swords who Haruyuki respected and admired more than anyone else, The Black King «Black Lotus». As part of the special rule that was imposed only on Level 9 Burst Linkers, she was always fighting while carrying the possibility of sudden death. That’s right, for example, in the weekly territory battles, if the other kings were to arrange meticulous preparations and appear there. If she were to lose to one of them. That person would immediately undergo the permanent loss of Brain Burst.

……Senpai. You must always be living under this kind of pressure.

One second after he murmured that within himself—

The countdown reached zero.

The blazing letters that flared up said ‘Duel Start’.

Dusk Taker widely hoisted up the claws of his hands.

Haruyuki also lowered his waist and prepared his hand-swords in front and behind him.

Noumi’s wings remained folded, and he didn’t show any signs of taking out his purple wave motion attack. He must first wish to have a ground battle of incarnate techniques.

—That’s just fine with me!

Crying that out within his mind, Haruyuki then kicked off the ground.

He dashed fiercely in order to close the 20-meter distance between them at once. The enemy’s silhouette in the center of his vision rapidly became larger.

He crossed over the shadows of the poles that stretched over the white courtyard. One pole, two poles—

When he stepped on the shadow of the third pole, it happened.

From the darkness of a thin shadow no more than 10 cm wide which shouldn’t have been able to hide anything, something sprang up as if gus.h.i.+ng out and approached Haruyuki from his left and right.

They were square plates that seemed to be about 1 meter long on each side. These two dim deep black plates rose up like springs the moment that Haruyuki had stepped on the shadow of the poll, and squeezed him between them from both sides with a tremendous force.

Even with Silver Crow’s speed, he was not able to avoid them. He could only spread out his hands and press them against the surface of the plates with all his strength.

*GAAN!* A metallic sound resounded, and sparks flew from the joints of Haruyuki’s arms. The HP gauge, which was the only thing he could see, decreased slightly.

“Guh…”

He involuntarily cried out from the sharp pain. Although they were ultra-thin plates that were less than a few millimeters thick, they had a frightful pressure that pressed hard on him in a huge vise. He couldn’t extend his arms out at all, so he adjusted the position of his hands and desperately resisted with the armor of his elbows and hands. However, the plates instantly crammed Haruyuki into a 50 cm wide gap, and then finally stopped in that position.

*GIs.h.i.+, GIs.h.i.+* While hearing the sound of his avatar creaking, Haruyuki forcibly shook off his shock and thought.

—There are no traps in the «Moonlight» stage. Then, is this an unknown special technique of Dusk Taker!? No, if it were, there would definitely have been some kind of motion or voice command on his part in order to activate it. Besides, if he had such a powerful technique, he would have used it in our last duel. In that case——

This jet-black board was not Noumi’s technique. Of course, it wasn’t Lime Bell’s either.

In other words, there was someone else on this battlefield…

No, that’s impossible. There shouldn’t be anyone who could have performed an ambush in this duel that was repeatedly postponed so many times until just before it began.

When his instantaneous thoughts had reached that far, as if to betray his thoughts all too quickly, Haruyuki sensed a very faint presence.

His gaze was drawn to the left, in the direction of the school building.

The northernmost end of the white schoolyard was sunken darkly in the shadow produced by the 4-storied school building. The figure of Lime Bell who was crouched down alongside the wall looked small in comparison.

Haruyuki, and Tak.u.mu as well behind him, watched without speaking as a fifth avatar silently appeared right in front of her from the nearly-pointed tip section of the school building’s shadow.

Strange.

That was the only word to describe its appearance. Haruyuki had never once a duel avatar that had a stranger form than this in Accel World.

Its whole body was made out of thin plates arranged perpendicularly. It was as if many sheets of rectangular clipped paper had been piled in the form of body parts. Since gaps of approximately 1 cm existed between each plate, although its silhouette could be seen distinctly from the side, it only looked like thin vertical lines placed perpendicularly from the front.

Also, all of the dozens of plates that const.i.tuted the avatar were dyed a dim black as if they were smeared in ink.

To Haruyuki, he didn’t know if it was the avatar’s modeling or its color that was more shocking.

The laminated plate avatar was completely black no matter how he looked at it. It wasn’t like the «blackish» avatars he had seen before—not silver like Chrome Disaster, nor purplish like Dusk Taker. It was a perfect black which absorbed the light of all wavelengths and refused to be dyed.

“……You.”

Haruyuki murmured that in a hoa.r.s.e voice.

However, the avatar didn’t respond, but instead tilted its square head and stared at Haruyuki from inside its many gaps. In that instant, the pressure of the two plates on each of side of Haruyuki increased the pressure on his body. Silver Crow’s armor made an unpleasant sound and creaked.

At this point, Haruyuki finally noticed that the right arm of the laminated avatar didn’t exist at all. Instead, a hazy grey light trembled at the end of its shoulder.

Haruyuki didn’t understand what kind of logic it used, but it was clear that its right arm was the two plates currently restraining him, considering both their color and form.

And there was one more thing that was clear.

This black avatar was an ambusher that Noumi had prepared. An ambush that should have been carefully eliminated after Haruyuki and Tak.u.mu examined all the possibilities.

“…Why…How…It should have been possible for the time to have been specified…”

Tak.u.mu, who had remained standing behind him, cried that out like a groan.

Even after he said that, the laminated avatar remained silent. Instead, the one that let out a short ‘Kuku’ laugh and spoke was Dusk Taker, who was standing several meters in front of Haruyuki.

“Fu, fu. Geez, you people make me enjoy myself time and time again. It’s nice, that astonished-manner of yours. So much that it makes me want to pay a viewing fee…Speaking of which, what did you say a little while ago? ‘We’ve already learned that we can never be careful enough against you’? Unfortunately, it seems that your diligence wasn’t enough, haha, HAHAHAHA!!”

After letting out another short bout of loud laughter, he suddenly spread out his hands.

“…Though I say that, since the two of you are in the position where you’ll be losing all your points soon, it’s meaningless no matter what you get at this point. At the very least, I’ll let you in on the secret as a farewell gift. —It isn’t because I predicted the time you specified, but neither is it because the person over there waited on this side for months before we appeared here, of course.”

He further moved the talons of his right hand and tapped his head which had a lens-type visor fitted to it.

“The two of you already know that we have a Brain Implant Chip here. The BIC, that is to say a growth-type terminal is connected to the sensory area of our brains as a bio-electronic interface, but…depending on the programming, it is possible for it to reach the deepest parts of the brain.”

“De…Deepest parts…?”

As Haruyuki muttered that, Noumi nodded his head in an exaggerated manner.

“Yes. Naturally, it’s extremely dangerous. Even I haven’t gone that far. But, the person over there is quite daring despite his appearance. His terminal extends all the way to the thought clock control center of his brain.”

Thought clock.

Those were the words that formed the basis of the super-technology which realized the «acceleration» of Burst Linkers. The Brain Burst program accelerates the user’s thoughts by increasing the base clock inside the brain, which uses the person’s heartbeat as the basis, by 1000 times. Whether it was Diving into the usual duel field or the Unlimited Neutral Field, that multiplication rate was fixed and couldn’t be manipulated at all.

In other words, since Haruyuki and Tak.u.mu had postponed the time of the duel for more than an hour, nearly two months of subjective time had pa.s.sed in this world. Noumi shouldn’t have a comrade that would help him by intently endure such a length of time and waiting in ambush—that was how it was supposed to be. However.

“I’ll say it one more time. He dived into the Unlimited Neutral Field at 8 PM in real world time. However, he never had to wait so many months inside here. Listen well…By deactivating his brain’s thought clock control center by using the BIC, he can arbitrarily stop the acceleration of his thoughts. He’s, in other words, the only «Deceleration Ability User» in all of Accel World!”

“…Deceleration…Ability…”

Haruyuki didn’t know whether those repeated words came out of his or Tak.u.mu’s mouth.

As Haruyuki couldn’t find any other words to say, a new voice finally reached his ears.

“…Good grief.”

It was the quiet voice of a youth, which seemed genial somehow even under the electronic effect that was characteristic of duel avatars. Haruyuki felt like it bore a strong resemblance to the voice of a young gla.s.ses-wearing male teacher that had been his only favorite homeroom teacher in his elementary school days.

While still restraining Haruyuki with tremendous pressure, the laminated avatar spoke for the first time in a soft voice without any strain in it at all.

“Hey, Taker-kun. I can’t help but feel that that talkativeness of yours was what bounced you around and drove you into a Sudden Death Duel situation like this.”

“Haha, that is merely a difference of opinion. Like you consider silence as a weapon, I only consider eloquence as a weapon. So, how about their shocked faces? Doesn’t it look like they’ve already lost the will to fight in the face of our technological capabilities?”

“I don’t know about that. That small kid there is still doing his very best to hang on. I can’t crush him any harder than this.”

“Hee, even if he’s weakened, he’s still a metal color after all.”

As Noumi let out a ‘Fufufu’ laugh, the laminated avatar signaled Noumi with a small movement of his left hand.

“Under these circ.u.mstances, my hands are full with pinning him in place. It would be helpful if you could tidy up the big one back there a little early than planned.”

“Roger, roger. I don’t plan to make you work more than the remuneration I paid you. Just give me three minutes…no, thirty seconds.”

Those words of contempt by Noumi—

Finally relit Haruyuki’s fighting spirit.

—Just thirty seconds? You, who has never won an honest match against Taku, in just thirty seconds!?

Gritting his teeth hard, he ran his gaze over the plates on either side of him for a moment.

—This isn’t a situation where I can remain restrained forever by such flimsy plates. If the enemy is two, our side is also two. I’ll leave Noumi to Taku, and I’ll take down…this guy!

Haruyuki concentrated all of his consciousness that contained those thoughts into one point on his brow.

Suddenly, a metallic high frequency sound was produced out of nowhere and Silver Crow’s body shook. The feeling that his consciousness was connecting to the imagination circuit hidden within the Brain Burst program.

The laminated avatar that was constantly restraining Haruyuki had a grey aura around his right shoulder. Niko had said that the phenomenon of continuously emitted light, in other words «Over-Ray», was proof of the Incarnate System being in use. In other words, these plates were the incarnate technique of that avatar. In that case, he also had to muster all his strength and fight back.

A white light was lit on Silver Crow’s sharp fingertips.

It quickly covered all the way from his wrist to the vicinity of his elbow in a pale light.

Haruyuki sucked in a big breath—and shouted out loudly the name of the incarnate technique that he had just recently named.

“«Laser…Sword»!!”

Then, he crossed his arms, and thrusted the fingertips of his right hand at the left plate and the fingertips of his left hand at the right plate.

*GYAAAAAN!* Along with a high-pitched sound, his swords of elongated light crashed into the jet-black plates and threw off dazzling sparks.

The parts that the swords ate into instantly became red hot as if they had been showered with the flames of a plasma arc. A glow rapidly spread over the surface of the thin plates, and they vibrated violently.

—At this rate, I’ll break through them!!

The moment he cried that out inside his mind and strained all of his image power.

“Oops…my, my, this is serious.”

A calm voice was heard. Then,

“«Static Pressure[1] ».”

The call of a technique name.

Suddenly the two plates rumbled with a ‘GOGON!’.

The thickness of the plates, which had only been a few millimeters, rapidly increased. Exceeding 5 cm, then 10 cm, they changed into something that would better called «lumps» than plates.

The two huge cuboids, which had a texture that felt like it could cut darkness itself, poured pressure that easily exceeded the pressure from before onto Haruyuki.

“Gu…uh!”

While groaning like that, he mustered as much mind power as possible and resisted with his Laser Swords. However, even though it had looked on the verge of melting just a moment ago, the red hot portions were reduced by half the instant the thickness increased.

An even stronger gray aura was being released from the laminated avatar’s shoulder. It was already definite that this technique was not a special technique regulated by the system, but a incarnate technique derived from the image power of the enemy avatar.

Through the imagination output of the two sides fighting each other, Haruyuki felt himself touch what filled the inside of the laminated avatar.

Darkness.

Unlike Noumi’s mind power, it wasn’t a hungry nothingness that sought to swallow everything. Although it certainly existed there, it didn’t possess any kind of energy, and therefore did not give nor take, but instead rejected all interference. No, it wasn’t even an active rejection. It was «isolation». An absolute detachment that couldn’t consider the state of people’s hearts at all.

The instant he felt that, Haruyuki reflexively feared coming into contact with it through mind power.

His hand’s Laser Swords weakened in that short instant and flickered.

That was enough. Becoming tremendously heavy, the hard objects dug into Haruyuki’s shoulders, and Haruyuki’s movements were completely confined. Once again, he heard the voice of the laminated avatar.

“Hey, you. If you could, please remain quiet and still like that. The work I’ve been contracted to do only involves temporarily pinning you in place. I have no intention of fighting.”

—What…kind of selfish thing are you saying!

Shouting that out sharply within his mind, Haruyuki once again raised the output of his Laser Swords. However, it took all his strength just to reduce the pressure of the black lumps slightly, and he couldn’t push them back much more than that.

While he was completely restrained and unable to move, the figures of two avatars slowly stepping up to each other came into Haruyuki’s vision.

From the west, with his slightly longer arms compared to his short-statured body handing loosely at his sides, was Dusk Taker.

From the east, with the top of his right arm’s «pile driver» s.h.i.+ning sharply, was Cyan Pile.

Both of them took a little distance and faced each other in the middle of the white schoolyard.

An atmosphere of fighting spirit that was rapidly increasing filled the field and pushed up the density of the air. In this feeling of tension that trembled violently, Haruyuki could neither speak out nor pray for anything.

“……Heh.”

Suddenly, Noumi spoke while idly waving his wrists.

“It seems you’ve made your own preparations. In that case, I should be able to enjoy myself a little…right?”

He then raised his hands and made his fingertips touch the front of his chest. A distorted ‘IIIIIIN’ vibrating was produced, and suddenly, a pulsating purple light gushed out strongly. It was Noumi’s incarnate technique which Haruyuki and the others called the «wave surge of nothingness». Haruyuki thought that he would immediately fly up and attack with long-range firepower, but it seemed like he intended to fight a ground battle, perhaps in order to mock Cyan Pile.

“Does that technique have a name?”

Tak.u.mu asked that in a calm voice. In response, Noumi answered with a laugh that made it seem like he was letting out a great breath.

“Hah, I don’t have any reason to give names to my techniques. Although having no name for it seems to make the activation somewhat slower, I decline doing that kind of game-like behavior! …Besides…”

He spread out his hands wide. The wave surge light left a hazy trail behind it in the air.

“Is there any reason in you asking something like that? When you’ll be losing Brain Burst in just a few minutes?”

“There is a reason, of course. Because I want to remember, at least for a little while, the details about the opponent for whom I’ll be performing their last rites over their corpse.”

Coldly retorting like that, Tak.u.mu moved his right arm’s Enhanced Armament in a stance sideways in front of his chest.

Haruyuki also knew that Tak.u.mu had done mind power training under the Red King Niko’s coaching over a period of one week. However, he hadn’t heard what kind of technique Tak.u.mu had obtained, nor even whether he had reached the level where he could use it in real battle.

Despite being in a situation where he was stuck between two lumps and his avatar was screeching, Haruyuki wasn’t able to stop himself from pouring his gaze intently on Tak.u.mu.

Next, Cyan Pile lifted up his left arm as well, and—

He did an action that Haruyuki didn’t expect.

With the fingers of his left hand, he strongly grasped the steel stake that stuck out from his Enhanced Armament.

…Taku, what the heck are you doing!?

Haruyuki’s eyes widened. That stake was the scar within Tak.u.mu’s heart—born out of his memories of the cruel bullying he had received in kendo cla.s.s when he was an elementary school student. It was the bamboo sword that had repeatedly poked his throat, and also a lethal weapon for the sake of piercing the throats of the guys who had bullied him.

So why was he grasping its pointed tip himself?

Tak.u.mu answered Haruyuki’s question with his actions.

“—«Cyan Blade»!!”

Following that shouted technique name call.

*GASHUN!* The steel stake shot out. Haruyuki compulsorily expected the spectacle of the pointed end to blowing off Tak.u.mu’s left hand. But.

The thing that was blown away and scattered was the right arm’s «pile driver» itself. Only the stake remained as a pale light while being grasped in his left hand. Tak.u.mu drew a big semi-circle with it and put it up above his head, and then brought up his now free right hand to hold it as well and swung it down in front of him.

The light scattered, and what appeared out of it was.

Namely, a sword.

The blade extended up to one meter and a half. It was single-edged, but was completely straight, with a single deep indigo line running through it up to its point. The color of the blade was pale blue, and a faint glow of the same color was wrapped around the entire sword.

Holding that beautiful weapon in stance, Cyan Pile was now, coupled with the color of his armor, nothing else except a complete close range-type duel avatar. No, it was a completed figure that could already be a «swordsman».

……Taku.

Haruyuki whispered that in a voice that didn’t form into a real voice.

As if heading his thoughts, Tak.u.mu looked at Haruyuki for an instant and nodded. Then, he once again turned to the front and directly put his right leg forward. He positioned his sword halfway up with the expert motion of a kendo fighter.

A much more intense fighting spirit was blown out violently from that step, and the aura in Noumi’s hands flickered.

“…I see.”

Even after receiving that fighting spirit, Noumi muttered in a voice from which not much agitation could be externally seen. He then immediately let out a contemptuous laugh.

“Fufu, I see. It’s because losing to me in a match was very mortifying, is that it? So you embodied those feelings into that kind of shoddy sword. But well, if it’s a sword match that you wish…it can’t be helped, I’ll go along with you for a little while.”

And then Noumi also made the gesture of grasping something with his hands, and took the exact same halfway up stance.

Haruyuki watched feeling half-surprised and half-comprehending as the purple wave surge stretched out and took the form of a long sword. Noumi had once changed that wave surge into the form of long claws before. If it was a close-range weapon, it probably could change into various forms according to the image in his mind.

Although having the outward appearances of their duel avatars, the two of them faced each other in the exact same stances as during the final match in the kendo club inner tournament last week. However, there was no referee here. Nor any protective armor. What hung in the balance was their very life as Burst Linkers.

*JIRI* Both tiptoed forward and began to close the distance between them.

In the s.p.a.ce between their two sword points, actual minute white sparks burst out and burned the air.

The battle had already started. Tak.u.mu and Noumi were fighting an «Override[2]» battle between them to see which had the stronger imagination.

—Taku, believe in yourself!!

Haruyuki shouted that out in his mind, and at that instant.

“—SEEAAAAAH!!”

“—CHEEEEEE!!”

Two spirited cries resounded loudly on the moonlit night battlefield, and the two of them kicked forward off the ground simultaneously.

Blue and purples trails were brightly drawn through the air, and their two swords crossed each other from the front.

*GAKIIIIN!* An intense impact sound. Tak.u.mu’s mind power which embodied the true nature of a sword, «cutting power», hit away Noumi’s mind power that tried to shave off everything. These swords that greatly repelled each other swung down at the same time. Again, a thunderous sound and sparks occurred. And again once more.

Then, the two of them took distance from each other and confronted each other while taking up their halfway up stances again.

From Dusk Taker’s mask, a mocking voice leaked out.

“My, my, this is surprising. You’re really doing your best to use that hastily improvised sword, haven’t you?”

“Of course. When it’s a kendo match without cheating, I’m stronger than you after all.”

Noumi laughed in a ‘Kukuku’ throaty voice in response to Tak.u.mu’s retort.

“I wonder about that, senpai. Do you think I wouldn’t notice? It’s obvious no matter how you try to hide it! You…have a fatal habit!!”

While shouting that out, Noumi sharply stepped forward. The length of the purple sword grasped in his hand increased and extended with a ‘SUUUU’.

Taking into account the force of the momentum from the lengthening of the blade—Dusk Taker savagely shot out a thrust, aiming at Cyan Pile’s throat.

“CHEIIIIIIN!”

Tak.u.mu’s arms sprang up as if convulsing and tried to protect his throat with his blue sword’s blade. But at that instant, Noumi’s sword moved like a fencing fleuret and changed the trajectory of its thrust.

*BYUUH!* An ear-hurting vibrating sound resounded, and the tip of the purple sword mowed down through the empty s.p.a.ce on Cyan Pile’s right side.

Noumi cut his way forward like that. As if chasing that trajectory, a single pale spark flowed from Tak.u.mu’s wound.

“Guh…”

Immediately returning to his body immediately despite the groan, Tak.u.mu chased after Noumi. He let out a series of unstopping attacks at Noumi’s forearm, other forearm, face and eyes. But the purple sword twisted like a living thing and precisely repelled the attacks.

“Come on, come on, is it really all right, not protecting your neck like that?”

Once again, a ‘BYUO’ roar was emitted and Noumi’s sword thrusted out. It didn’t miss the moment when Tak.u.mu’s movements hardened for an instant, and this time the left side of his abdomen was cut up.

——Taku, hang in there!!

Haruyuki shouted that out within himself while fighting desperately against the black vise he was in.

The scars of Tak.u.mu’s heart. That was the memory of bullying he received in his kendo cla.s.s as an elementary school student. Having been used as a practice stand for thrusting while having his arms bound behind his back had been humiliating to him, and more than that produced an overwhelming fear in him.

However, Tak.u.mu did not give up kendo. Tak.u.mu himself had said that it was because he didn’t have the willpower to give it up, but that wasn’t it. He continued it because he liked kendo. His love for it exceeded his fear. Those feelings…

Believe in those feelings, Taku!!

He couldn’t have heard Haruyuki’s voice. However, Tak.u.mu readjusted his staggering body and—

He lifted up the sword in his hands. Higher than his neck, and far above his head.

A blue aura even bluer than the moonlight wrapped around not only the sword that was positioned above his head, but also all the way from his arms to his shoulders.

Noumi glared from below at Tak.u.mu as his mind power’s «Over-Ray» wavered and he took a firm stance.

“……What a transparent bluff. Very well, if you want to leave your windpipe wide open, then…”

A dark purple Over-Ray gushed out with a ‘ZUAA’ from Noumi’s sword and arms.

“……Just as you wish, I’ll pierce it!!”

Dusk Taker’s charge was faster than Haruyuki’s eyes could follow. After stepping forward like a blur, he suddenly fired a thrust at Tak.u.mu’s throat that wasn’t a feint this time.

Tak.u.mu—neither avoided it nor protected himself.

Instead, he moved forward. He received the point of the sword which hid a certain-kill power in it with his thick left shoulder. A deep hole was dug unto his armor and thin pale sparks flew.

“Guh…”

A low pain-enduring voice leaked out from under his mask. However, immediately after.

“ZEAAAAAH!!”

With a force that shook the air, the «Cyan Blade» was swung straight down.

Noumi dodged to the right in an expected reaction, but he couldn’t completely avoid it and received the sword tip through the left side of his chest. Although it was slightly shallow, red-purple sparks still shot out dazzlingly.

“Tch…!”

As Noumi tried to get some distance away while clicking his tongue, Tak.u.mu showered him with even more attacks. Just before the blue blade touched his mask, his purple blade unfortunately blocked it.

Like that, the two of them s.h.i.+fted to a battle of locking swords. Sparks flew spewed out like a waterfall from the point their swords crossed, and brightly illuminated their masks.

This state of equilibrium lasted only for an instant. Possessing a better physique and physical strength, Cyan Pile pushed his sword forward with a jerk. The Incarnate System had nothing to do with this result. It was purely the power difference between a close range-type and an overall distance balance-type coming out here.

Eventually, Dusk Taker faltered as his right knee hit the ground.

His blade slipped, and Tak.u.mu’s «Cyan Blade» approached Noumi’s left shoulder. Due to the huge pressure, a fine crack ran through the white-tiled schoolyard. Their two masks approached each other just short of touching.

Suddenly, a certain premonition ran through Haruyuki’s mind with a s.h.i.+ver.

‘—Taku, dodge!’ An instant before he could shout that out.

Noumi let out a sharp voice.

“«Demonic Commandeer!!»”

*SUBA!* Along with that sound, a darkness with density was emitted from Dusk Taker’s lens-type visor in a whirl.

It hit Cyan Pile’s mask from the front and, as if it were also some kind of living thing, it invaded inside him while shuddering. The blue avatar’s upper body bent back and stopped for an instant.

«Demonic Commandeer».

That was the only inherent special technique that Dusk Taker had. Its effect, which consumed his entire full gauge in order to activate, stole a single ability belonging to the targeted duel avatar, like their special techniques or an Enhanced Armament. The fact that Noumi hadn’t used his wings and had instead done a close-quarters battle from the front until now was a trap aiming for this.

Cyan Pile did not have a system-like ability[3]. And even two of his three special techniques were derived from his Enhanced Armament. In other words, in the case that he received the «Demonic Commandeer», he would likely have both his «Pile Driver» and special techniques stolen all together with a probability of 75%.

If that happened—that «Cyan Blade», which was reconstructed from his steel stake due to mind power, would also disappear.

The momentary still state that covered the field felt like it was forever to Haruyuki.

The darkness which should have flowed backwards from Cyan Pile’s mask and returned to Dusk Taker—

Didn’t occur.

Instead.

“…OOOOH!”

With a war cry, Tak.u.mu swung the sword grasped by his hands down in a straight line.

Noumi’s left arm was cut off from under the shoulder and scattered into purple light before disappearing. At the same time, his avatar itself was also struck to the ground, bounded violently and rolled backwards by almost 10 meters.

As one would expect, he immediately got up and repositioned his blade of nothingness with only his right hand. However, as if displaying the agitation within his heart, the point of his sword trembled minutely.

Pointing his brilliantly s.h.i.+ning blue blade at Noumi, Cyan Pile spoke.

“You really are too greedy, whatever the circ.u.mstances are.”

Haruyuki did not grasp the meaning of those words immediately. Although he probably didn’t plan on explaining, Tak.u.mu continued speaking calmly.

“—I’ve always thought it was strange. Why you didn’t take Lime Bell’s healing ability. Even though if you did, you would have all three abilities of «flight», «firepower» and «healing», and become an absolute person that could surpa.s.s even the kings. The reason for that is—”

As the eyes within his slits brightened with a ‘PIKA’, Tak.u.mu declared it.

“Because your capacity is insufficient. It shouldn’t be possible for an overly powerful special technique like «stealing the abilities of others» to have no restrictions. Your «Demonic Commandeer» has a maximum limit to the number and general potential of the abilities you steal and retain. Because of that, you lack the capacity to take two rare abilities like «flight» and «healing» at once, even if you were to delete all the other powers you have. Isn’t that right?”

Pressing down on the cut-off section of his left arm with his right hand, Dusk Taker remained silent. Right now, Noumi should be tormented by an intense pain that was double what was experienced in the usual duel field. Was it that he couldn’t move—or was he feeling so much anger that he forgot about the pain?

While carefully pointing his sword at him, Tak.u.mu slowly closed the distance between them little by little. His calm voice flowed through the field once again.

“—The person who coached me in mind power said this. That most of Cyan Pile’s potential is comprised of this «pile driver». You surely estimated that you could always get rid of your current free s.p.a.ce as well if you stole my Enhanced Armament, but…unfortunately, you judged the value of my «pile driver» incorrectly.”

“……Fufufu, I see.”

Although Dusk Taker finally let out his usual contemptuous laughter, his voice was tinged with a gloomy and distorted effect, as if reflecting his true feelings.

“I see. Although I said it before, that stick was made using very painful memories of yours as a resource, right? That…is a metaphor for a bamboo sword, right? Was it from something painful in the kendo club? Could it be that such a cool senpai like you was bullied in an unsightly manner? Haha, no way! You’re not like that pig over there!!”

…Taku, those words are another of Noumi’s traps! Don’t listen!

Even though he was desperately resisting against the jet black vise that was mercilessly pressing hard on him, Haruyuki shouted that out within his mind.

Perhaps because of anger produced within Tak.u.mu, the light covering his sword wavered slightly. However, he quickly regained control and responded in a calm voice.

“—My own memories don’t amount to much. Not when compared to the scars that made Dusk Taker, your avatar appear. The reason you’re a «plunderer» is because you have nothing left inside you. You steal everything because you’re an empty hole. You also have probably already realized it. Even if you take away the powers of others…no, their hopes, their friends.h.i.+ps and love, the real reason you do that is because you can never have them yourself.”

Once again, silence.

The dark-colored avatar turned down his face deeply beneath the blue moonlight pouring down.

Eventually, he rose up while feebly staggering. While pressing down on his left shoulder, he slowly turned his face upward. His entire body minutely trembled, which then quickly changed to intense shaking.

“…Kukuku.”

What leaked out from behind his spherical visor was thin and creepy laughter.

“Kuku, fufufu…Hahaha, aha…AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

His whole body bending far backwards, Dusk Taker let out a burst high-pitched loud laughter.

“AHAHAHAHAHA!! Nothing inside me!? Empty!? Hahaha, that…that describes that guy instead!!”

After laughing for a while, he began to talk like a dam had burst within him.

“Since you people are clever, you must have already guessed after looking over the graduation alb.u.m, right? Yes, my «Parent» is my real three-year-older brother. That guy was the real plunderer. Using his slightly large body and violence, he stole sweats and toys from me during our childhood, and when he got a little bigger he stole my pocket money and New Years’ money…and finally he even stole the only girl I got along with. A completely splendid style of plundering, fufufu.”

He shook his head left and right two, three times, and laughed as if amazed. His sad and gloomy monologue continued.

“…The first thing that that guy gave to me…it was of course «Brain Burst». I was foolishly glad and even excited. That’s why, just as his first lecture finished, I felt disappointed when he said ‘Earn ten points every week’. But I would go through terrible experiences of real life violence if I refused. I would desperately «duel» by going to depopulated areas and supply the points I gathered honestly to my brother. I was completely like a dog. Yes, that guy even took my one final thing from me in the process. My «pride» as a human.”

…No. I don’t want to listen.

Haruyuki held his breath, and tried to shut out from his consciousness Noumi’s words, which brought with them a pain just by listening to them, as if there were some kind of attacking power in the words themselves.

…I don’t want to hear such a story. No, I don’t need to hear it.

—Taku, deliver the finis.h.i.+ng blow already. Make it end. We don’t need to go along with a story whose veracity is not certain. No, it’s surely a lie. A strategy to unsettle us.

However, Haruyuki couldn’t help but understand.

That Noumi’s story was the truth. And that Tak.u.mu could not cut him down in this situation.

Dusk Taker continued speaking to Cyan Pile who had stopped moving.

“…But, even in that kind of situation, I collected points little by little for myself and raised my level. And one day, I finally obtained my first special technique in this avatar that didn’t possess any significant power. That was «Demonic Commandeer»…During the same time period, I soon after got two other great powers. Namely, the BIC and knowledge of the Incarnate System. My mind power training was harsh…my coach told me countless times that it was a waste of time. But, I stuck to my hatred towards my brother as sustenance. Yes, that time finally came at last. The time when I took back everything that that guy…that my brother had stolen from me.”

Kukukuku.

That chuckle tinged with the sound of resentment dripped through the field.

“—I called my brother to the Unlimited Neutral Field, and first took his ability. After doing that, I tortured my shocked brother to death with mind power. Since his HP disappeared a little too quickly for my taste, I thought more on how to do it the second time. After one hour pa.s.sed and he revived, I was more skillful in how I killed him. The excitement and pleasure I felt then can’t be described in words! The way he cried when his points finally ran out and he lost Brain Burst last of all…just remembering it makes me laugh even now…kuku, fufufu, AHAHAHAHAHA!”

After grasping his stomach for a while, Noumi raised his head up and shouted.

“Nothing inside me!? An empty hole!? The one that’s like that isn’t me, but that guy now!! An ex-Acceleration Ability User that has lost Brain Burst. There is no other existence sadder and more pitiable than that! I’m different…I will obtain everything. Both in Accel World, and the real world. Even the illusions like friends.h.i.+p and bonds that you people believe in…”

The eyes within his visor glowed strongly.

“—I won’t be left behind, but steal and rise up!!”

Along with that shout, Noumi shook off his right hand with a big swing.

On his left shoulder, there was something that shot out from the cut-off section of his arm at a violent speed like black snakes. It was the three tentacles Enhanced Armament that he had equipped when he first dueled with Haruyuki. He must have secretly recited the equip command and had been waiting for it to regenerate.

The tentacles that could extend anywhere let out a roar and pounced, but it wasn’t towards Cyan Pile who was standing in front of him. Furthermore, it wasn’t towards Silver Crow who was squeezed within a vise either.

It was towards Chiyuri—Lime Bell, who had been sinking her body underneath the shadow of the distant school building and had not tried to speak a word until now.

“Wha…”

Although he leaked out a short voice of astonishment, Tak.u.mu still reacted and raised his sword up to cut away the tentacles.

However, one moment before he could do that.

The tentacles, which quickly contracted like rubber, coiled around the leaf-colored avatar and hoisted her beneath his blade.

*GIs.h.i.+* Cyan Pile’s whole body jarred, and he stopped his slash. The sword edge slightly touched the brim of Lime Bell’s pointy hat, and let out a single spark.

The three tentacles instantly coiled around Chiyuri’s entire body and mercilessly constricted her.

“……!”

The delicate avatar bent backwards and leaked out a pained gasp. Added on to that gasp was Noumi’s snickering.

“Fu, fufufu. Did you think I merely called her here just for the role of healing me? No way! I’m already aware that Lime Bell is a weak point of yours. You have to effectively use any thing that can be used…That is the secret of «duels», right!”

“…You, b.a.s.t.a.r.d…”

As Tak.u.mu’s sword edge trembled and he let out that low growl, Chiyuri tried to say something to him. However, the tentacles instantly coiled around her mouth several times over and halted Lime Bell’s words.

“Now then, please throw away that sword and cancel your Enhanced Armament as well.”

After Noumi gave those cold directions, Tak.u.mu responded in a grating voice.

“…Lime Bell isn’t partic.i.p.ating in our «Sudden Death Duel». You can’t make her a hostage.”

“Heh? Is that really so?”

Dusk Taker tilted his head.

And casually grasped around Lime Bell’s right elbow with his right hand that was trickling with purple wave surge.

*GOGIN*.

And then a very, very unpleasant sounded resounded. It was the sound of her thin yellow-green arm being cut off from her elbow joint.

“……————!!”

Lime Bell’s whole body convulsed and she let out a silent scream. Her back bent backwards as far as it could two, three times. Each time, huge amounts of green sparks gushed out from the cut-off section of her arm.

Haruyuki’s vision was suddenly dyed a blazing red. An overwhelming fury blew violently through him, and he frantically struggled to escape. However, the black vise didn’t so much as shake slightly, as if mocking his anger. On the contrary, the moment the output of his Laser Swords that had been resisting the pressure until now were disturbed due to his anger, they pressed against his shoulders even more strongly.

“You…bastaaaaaaard!!”

Instead, the one that shouted was Tak.u.mu. There was something which struck against his large avatar’s chest with a whack as he took a step forward. It was Lime Bell’s arm. After rebounding off him and flying through the air, it became countless polygons and disappeared.

“…You understand now, don’t you, senpai? She is Diving into the Unlimited Neutral Field for the first time. In this world where we receive twice as much pain than in the lower order field.”

He didn’t need to say that. Right now, Chiyuri should be feeling pain that was equivalent to having her body’s arm cut off in the real world. Perhaps because of how big the shock was, the slender avatar continued convulsing bit by bit.

Before the eyes of the frozen Cyan Pile, Noumi raised his right hand again.

“…Also, if I keep doing this, her special technique gauge for healing me will also fill up.”

Just as he said that, he pierced the tip of his sharp index finger into Chiyuri’s flank.

Once again, her avatar sprang up greatly. Even from beneath the tentacles coiled several times around her mouth, a thin scream could be clearly heard coming from her.

Stab. Again. And then—again.

Just before the fourth hole was stabbed into her.

“……Stop it!!”

Tak.u.mu shouted in a low and broken voice.

His whole body trembled. The Over-Ray covering his sword and arms flickered irregularly like a bad contact lighting.

‘—Don’t do it, Taku’, is what Haruyuki wanted to shout out. But he couldn’t speak.

“……Please, just stop…”

He spoke as if moaning. The «Cyan Blade» fell from his hands and rolled onto the ground with a clear metallic sound.

It then immediately dispersed into light. The light flowed through the air and was sucked into his avatar’s right arm, before returning to the original pile driver.

Tak.u.mu murmured the unequip command, and then the Enhanced Armament also disappeared. Immediately after confirming that, Dusk Taker swung his left arm widely and threw away Chiyuri towards a location far away.

He no longer paid any more attention the body-bent and pain-enduring Lime Bell.

The dark-colored avatar charged straight at Cyan Pile and embedded his right claws into his robust abdomen.

*DOBAH* There was a wet set, and his black arm stuck out from Cyan Pile’s back.

A rapid stream of pale blue sparks came out as he drew his arm back out. Tak.u.mu staggered, pressed against his knees to hold himself up from collapsing, and stopped moving while hanging his head.

“It’s because you believe in a lie like «bonds».”

Quietly—as if seriously having pity for Tak.u.mu, Noumi’s voice resounded.

“No, it’s because you act as if you believe in it, that you lost. If you really had faith in each other, you would have cut me along with her. Am I wrong?”

—You’re wrong…you’re wrong, you’re wrong!!

Haruyuki fiercely struggled. As he tried to escape from the vise and go save Tak.u.mu, sparks flew out from the joints of his arms in resistance. As he fought against it, he cried out in an unspoken voice.

—What do you understand!! There’s no way you could understand just how much Taku feels for Chiyu!! If he had cut down Chiyu as well there, that wouldn’t be faith, but just cold calculation!!

But, the black lumps on either side of him coldly applied pressure on him as if trying to crush even his anger.

—Why can’t I move? Why can’t I even let out my voice? Right now, if I don’t move right now, then what was the point of everything I did until now…

“Sorry, boy.”

From behind him, Haruyuki heard a quiet whisper. It was the voice of the laminated avatar who had been completely quiet until now.

“This technique stops your speaking as well as your movement. Therefore, you can’t speak nor use any voice commands. I would have liked to at least let you say words of farewell to your friend, but…Sorry.”

Hearing those words that sounded like a serious apology, Haruyuki’s anger became even more inflamed and raged through the inside of his avatar.

*ZUKIN* His back hurt.

*ZUKIN, ZUKIN* A lightning-like pain periodically spread out from the middle of his shoulder blades.

He felt like he could hear some kind of voice. However, as if it too were being obstructed by the vise, it didn’t reach Haruyuki’s consciousness.

If he couldn’t talk, he could only resist with mind power—with his «Laser Swords». He knew that, but his pounding anger disturbed his concentration.

In the schoolyard, Dusk Taker raised his right hand while facing Cyan Pile who was on his knees.

The wave surge of nothingness once again changed into a thin sword. Making a ‘BYUBYUN’ sound, he cut down twice.

With a heavy sound, both of Cyan Pile’s arms were severed from the joints and fell to the ground. A ma.s.s of lightning gushed out from his shoulders like a waterfall.

Haruyuki heard a voice,

…Haru, I’m sorry.

…I can’t fight anymore. I’m truly sorry…

The tears that overflowed beneath Haruyuki’s mask blurred his vision. Within his distorted screen, he could see Dusk Taker raising his sword high in order to deliver the finis.h.i.+ng blow.

—Here.

Is it going to end here? This is the ending of my…and also Tak.u.mu’s «Brain Burst»?

Those thoughts fell down with a plop within his mind.

As if that was also a drop at the freezing point of absolute zero, the flames of his anger became frost and dissolved. His limbs suddenly grew cold. The lights on his hands flickered, and vanished. All sensation in his body went far away. The feeling he had experienced several times before, the premonition of the phenomenon where an avatar stops in a standstill.

…Ah, I see. «Zero File[4]». So this is also an act caused by the Incarnate System. The Minus imagination negates the heat of the heart, and changes an avatar into a cold lump.

…Even if I noticed such a thing, there’s no longer any meaning to it.

…No, that’s not right.

If «Zero-fication» was the «Minus mind power» that all Burst Linkers could use, the opposite must also be true. An avatar that couldn’t move should be able to move through Plus imagination. Even if—he was in a situation like this where he was trapped in a vise of absolute strength.

Like that time once before, where he had spurred himself on with his tattered body while next to that person who had been sleeping on a bed of black thorns, and rose back up once again.

With a ‘PO’ sound, a small fire was lit in Haruyuki’s chest.

It wasn’t the flame of black anger that he had felt many times until now towards Noumi. It was what could be called ‘will’. The pure power of the heart that Kuroyukihime, Niko, Blood Leopard, and Sky Raker had taught him.

The small heat began to melt the ice binding his entire body. The connection to his limbs was restored.

A blue radiance that also resembled a hot flame—«Over-Ray» was suddenly released from the thin seems and joints of Silver Crow’s mirror-like armor.

However, without even being conscious of this light, Haruyuki tightly applied both his palms to the vise on either side of him.

“Gu…uh…”

A low voice leaked out from his throat. He mu