Accel World: Crimson Storm Princess

by Reki Kawahara

  “From the first time I met you, I disliked you a lot!”

  The Yellow King’s upper body bended backwards.

  Kuroyukihime glanced to the side then behind her and quickly called out.

  “Rain, your remaining weapons finished recharging right!? Crow, protect her!! - Let’s go!!”

  And then, carving a line in the bottom of the crater, she started a fierce dash.

  “Damn... let me rest a bit more!”

  It was Niko who cursed. With her remaining right cannon and half broken missile pods giving out grinding sounds, she pointed them towards the enemy long range group at the outer edge of the crater.

  While Kuroyukihime and the Yellow King talked, Haruyuki was not just idly listening. He used the seconds-long pause to find someone. The enemy indirect attack avatar that used jamming to mess up Niko’s aim.

  ‘- That guy!’

  Haruyuki discovered a yellow type hiding behind a red type at the crater’s north side, and shouted in his chest. The pods equipped on both shoulders were open, and from the center a parabolic antenna with the center cylinder giving out light effects stuck out.

  After determining that avatar was in the middle of doing electronic wave attacks, Haruyuki fiercely kicked the ground.

  However, there is a full 30 meters from the center of the crater to the outside edge. Even though Silver Crow is a speed type, he could not get there instantly, so the support red type had time to aim his huge weapon.

  A slight chill ran down Haruyuki’s back. Just like this, being aimed at in an open space by a gun with no place to hide - this is truly the situation and reason why he had so low success rate these past few weeks.

  He could only dodge it.

  If he does not defeat that jamming avatar, then Niko’s firepower will remain sealed. If that is the case, then the enemy formation’s existing red type avatar firepower will be concentrated on Kuroyukihime, to prevent her from directly fighting the Yellow King.

  Whether Haruyuki can avoid this one shot will probably determine the trend of this battle.

  The huge pressure made his hands and feet cold with paralysis. His view narrowed, and only the gun barrel opening darkness expanded wide. It’s no good, if he is like this then he cannot avoid it. The bullet released by the still gun in the virtual training room, he could at most avoid 30% of them.

  ‘- No. This current situation, is different from that white room.’

  The reason is, that gun is held by an avatar. With a brown camouflage pattern body and large lens like eyes shining, that’s a sniper type duel avatar. Not the gun, look at that guy. Try to see the action of when he is about to pull the trigger.

  Instantly, from Haruyuki’s view, everything other than the enemy avatar disappeared. He forgot about the battlefield situation, opened both eyes, and just captured the shape of the enemy holding the rifle.

  The back of the enemy’s neck tensed, right shoulder lifted up a few millimeters, right hand shook -

  ‘...There!’

  - Right hand finger squeezed the trigger, and a blue white shone from the gun barrel.

  At that time, he had already leaned left.

  ‘Shaaa!’ With that air vibration sound, a heat ray scratched by Haruyuki’s right chest and right shoulder going behind him. He ignored the burning sensation and flew the last ten meters forward, passing right beside the enemy long range type to dance with the indirect type behind.

  To the surprised electronic wave avatar, Haruyuki attacked both antennas with two hand knives. After seeing the delicate equipment smashed to bits, he sunk down for a moment, then flew straight up.

  ‘- Niko!’

  Whether his mental shout reached her or not, the instant the jamming was stopped, Scarlet Rain’s remaining weapons all spewed fire.

  Her right main cannon shot out a beam of heat, and left side missiles fell down, then the there was a mysterious curtain of flame that went up on the crater’s outer edge. Of course that one shot would not kill all of the enemy army, but all the long range shots that were firing at Black Lotus were silenced.

  In the moment of silence after the explosions, Kuroyukihime’s fierce roar echoed.

  “Radio!!”

  Her right arm blade drew a deep black path.

  What was cut apart without a sound, and floated in the air, was Yellow Radio’s huge hat’s right side horn.

  “Lotus!!”

  After the angry reply with not a single bit of banter up till now, the Yellow King took out a long and big baton like weapon from somewhere and started counter attacking. The hit that came in while drawing golden lines, Kuroyukihime used her left sword arm to parry, and the sparks that flew brightly lit up both of them.

  Niko that was intermittently shooting restraining fire, Haruyuki landed on the long stabilizer extending from her back and watched the fierce battle starting on the western edge of the crater with half amazement.

  Kings, that is, level 9 Burst Linkers fighting each other, of course it was his first time seeing it.

  That, everyone in this place - including the two persons fighting - would probably say the same thing.

  The current «Pure Color Seven Kings», aside from Niko, reached level 9 almost at the same time a bit more than two years ago. Then they found out about the cruel sudden death rule that is needed to reach level 10, and to avoid fights to the death, they started a round table conference.

  In that conference, the Black King, Black Lotus sneak attacked the first generation Red King, Red Rider and killed him in one critical hit. A King killing another King, that time was the first and only one. After that, the Black King was hunted as a betrayer and she stayed hidden in Umesato middle school’s local net for about two years, and the other Kings signed no invasion treaties with each other and did not leave their own territory.

  That is why, for level 9s fighting each other normally, since the beginning of accelerated world, this is the first time.

  Haruyuki, and Niko too.

  And as for the remaining ten yellow legion members, they all stopped attacking, and watched the fight with breaths held.

  ‘- Fast!’

  Haruyuki leaked that sound of awe in his chest.

  If he did not concentrate, then all he could see around the two fighting, were mysterious flashes that continued to bounce around. The Black King’s four chain, and five chain continuous attacks, were impressively parried by the Yellow King’s baton as he turned in high speed, while he looked for openings and used his long leg to kick. That was blocked by Kuroyukihime’s leg, and ripple like impact waves spread out, distorting the background.

  With the way to high power attacks continuing, radiating cracks started to appear from both fighter’s feet, and pieces of rubble started flying about. The space was filled with colorless pressure, and the lights shining from both combatant's armor, also seem to increase in intensity.

  “...It will be soon.”

  Niko murmured, and Haruyuki asked in reaction.

  “Wh, what?”

  “Those two’s special attack gauge should be full. The real battle will be starting.”

  Before that sentence finished, ‘Baan!’ that one impact sound exploded, and pushed by that those two distanced themselves from each other.

  They soon closed up, Kuroyukihime slowly lowered her waist, left arm held horizontal in front of her body, and right sword arm perpendicular to that peak. The long blades pulsed and started to be covered by violet light, and at the same time a low frequency vibration shook the air.

  On the other hand, Yellow Radio crossed both arms in front of himself, with fingers holding the golden baton. The balls on the baton’s either end, also released cyclic light.

  The increasingly higher pressure, made Haruyuki feel a light snapping sensation around his cheek area.

  A King’s special attack, Haruyuki saw a fragment of its power in his duel with Niko. The huge beam released by one main cannon, blew away the top part of Shinjuku metropolitan government building far away
in the battle field without much of effort.

  If same level potential power as that attack, is released in such close distance, what would happen? To Haruyuki who opened his eyes wide and forgot to breathe, Niko’s voice again lightly reached his ears.

  “...Not with power, it will be decided by speed.”

  “Eh... wh, what do you mean?”

  “No matter how you look at it, Lotus’ special attack is direct contact type. Against that, Radio’s special is illusion type. That means before Radio’s skill going into effect, whether Lotus’ one hit can reach him or not - will decide the battle.”

  Haruyuki’s throat made a ‘Gokuri’ sound.

  The largely tilted sun, cut through the black clouds slightly, and one red beam of light came down.

  That was reflected on the obsidian blade, at that instant.

  Black Lotus’ dignified sound echoed.

  “«Death By Pi...».”

  At the same time, Yellow Radio too.

  “«Futile Fortune Wh...».”

  However.

  Two skill names that were shouted at the same time, neither finished the last sound.

  ‘Ton.’

  That kind of small, however overwhelming presence dry sound echo, pressed down the two King’s sounds.

  That, was from Yellow Radio’s bright yellow color breast armor, something piercing through from behind kind of sound.

  Kuroyukihime who stopped her skill in mid shout, Haruyuki, Niko, the other Burst Linkers, and the Yellow King himself as well, looked at the about 15cm of silver grey metal sticking out of the armor.

  Chapter 7

  “Wh... who?”

  Haruyuki whispered in a sound that was not a voice.

  To be able to get close behind the suspicious Yellow King, furthermore, to be able to penetrate that armor like paper without the use of a special skill. No, before that, to cut in between a direct contact fight between two Kings, who would think of doing that?

  Then, as if hearing Haruyuki’s sound, from behind the Yellow King, a shadow melted slowly into view. Blending into the twilight almost perfectly, a deep grey silhouette. At the moment its surface was touched lightly by the remaining sunlight, it shone with wet reflection.

  The mysterious intruder's body was fully covered with black, silvery mirror-like armor. The color combination could be said to be similar to Silver Crow, but the form is largely different. The shoulders, chest and elbows had volume, with a heavy feeling like a knight from the Middle Ages. The right hand that was covered by a huge gauntlet, held a double-edged sword of the same length as his height, its extreme tip narrowed as it pierced through the Yellow King from behind.

  What drew attention more strongly than the sword, was the knight’s head.

  It was covered with a hood type helmet that had long horns extending behind from either side. However, in the place that was originally a face - there was nothing. Shone on by the sunlight, the interior should be clearly seen, but like a manifestation of darkness, the inside of the hood was painted all black. No, if he stared at it longer, he certainly could see something unknown, deep black and wriggling as though it's alive, on the surface.

  The knight of dark silver with a mask of darkness.

  That name, right before Niko, who was under him leaked it out, Haruyuki too, realized what it was. That was probably... That must be—

  “«Disaster Armor»... «Chrome Disaster».”

  Right after hoarsely leaking that out, Niko continued.

  “Why. Way too early. There should be at least a whole day left.”

  The reason she was surprised, Haruyuki soon realized.

  Chrome Disaster’s real self, «Cherry Rook» who is a level 6 Burst Linker belonging to the Red legion, and while the train he was riding on was about 2 minutes from Ikebukuro, Haruyuki’s group dived into this Unlimited Neutral Field. Here, the time flows at 1000 times of the real world, so that 2 minutes is about equal to 33 hours.

  There could only be one answer. Cherry Rook who was taken over by that armor, accelerated while he was riding the train, and appeared in this world.

  If it was a normal duel with 1.8 second max, that is understandable. However this place is an upper world, where one is unable to leave from anywhere aside from one of the Leap Points once dived in. In a place close to others, such as a train, not to mention, leaving the real body behind on a form of transportation, that is an action that surpassed bravery into recklessness.

  “Cherry... To be unable to wait for even 2 minutes, is he already that far gone?”

  Niko whispered in a muffled voice.

  However, Haruyuki did not seem to sense that kind of madness from the fifth Chrome Disaster standing across the crater, on its far west edge.

  The stature is not all that powerful. At most 170cm, and compared to the fourth that Kuroyukihime showed them in the playfield yesterday, this one is very small. The form had an orthodox human shape. While holding the sword that pierced through the Yellow King, he did not seem to be doing anything else, spacing out like expression as he stood there quietly.

  Why did the Yellow King not escape? Why did he turn his head to the limit and look at Chrome Disaster silently?

  That answer - .

  Once second later, Haruyuki found out.

  “Yuruoooooo...!”

  Suddenly, there was a strange scream.

  It was not a human’s sound. Not a beast’s. Not a machine’s. He had never heard it before, a heterogeneous roar.

  The source was the deep darkness lurking about the knight’s face. From under the bent backward hood type helmet, with the yell, a tangible darkness was blown out, and it slowly formed into a solid shape.

  On the hood’s top and bottom came a set of teeth, a sequence of sharp triangles. Fangs. Deep black fangs, from the hood’s edge, as if that was all one mouth, they stuck out.

  ‘Gupaa’.

  With that wet sound, the «mouth» opened.

  From the deep darkness inside, two small round eyes, shone with a vaporous red.

  At the moment he saw that, the Yellow King, Yellow Radio finally moved. He turned behind with a snap, and held the sword that pierced him with both hands, trying to pull it out.

  The reason he did not move till now was - he cowered. Bound by terror.

  Kuroyukihime who was also nearby, continued to be silent in her stance. She did not seem afraid, but he sensed a slight hesitation in her. There was a chance to attack, but which should she aim for, to be certain in this situation, she could not decide.

  To the Yellow King who was trying to pull the sword out, the Disaster Armor, Chrome Disaster brought his huge «mouth» near as if eating something on a fork. That jaw that was opened wide, closed in on the clown avatar’s round raised shoulders - the fangs dripping a clear mucus -

  “...«Deceit Firecracker»!!”

  Before his shoulder was bitten, Yellow Radio shouted in a loud voice.

  With a poisonous yellow smoke going up, the skewered avatar blew up, and disappeared.

  ‘Self destruct!?’ Haruyuki’s eyes popped out, however right after that, about five meters away, a similar colored smoke went up, and he saw the clown jumping out from inside. That was probably a dazzle and escape special skill.

  While his breastplate with a sharp hole was giving out small sparks, the Yellow King dashed back another few meters. After he indicated to his subordinates’ avatars to gather, he finally released a sound.

  “You starving dog, forgetting your owner’s kindness, and want to disturb my program? ...Fine then, if you are that hungry - eat the «Black» one in front of you!! It’s not too tantalizing a color for appetite though!!”

  He laughed with ‘Hahahahaha’, but that sound echoed with a tension that was not even disguised.

  As the black jaw opened and closed with ‘Gachin Gachin’ sounds, Chrome Disaster looked from the Black King to the Yellow King, who were at an equal distance away. That action did not have the feel of a player trying to decide who to «Duel»
with.

  It’s the gesture of a beast figuring out which prey he is supposed to hunt.

  The face that was not a face, casually turned towards the bottom of the crater. His look stopped for a moment at the damaged and silent Red King, however he did not show any feelings upon seeing his own legion master, then moved his face towards Haruyuki who was standing on the stabilizer on her back.

  Suddenly.

  ‘- Feed.’

  ‘- Feed, become meat.’

  What’s more terrifying than anything else, no matter how you listen to the tone of voice itself, which was from a similar aged boy before his voice changed.

  In his back, a fear that he had never experienced in the accelerated world thus far, he now felt it.

  Even with Brain Burst’s strange «Accelerate» technology, it is still just a duel fighting game. After arriving in this south Ikebukuro crater, he had been in a gruesome to the extreme battle, but that was still barely within the scope of a game.

  To be truthful, if the Yellow King’s trap succeeded with Niko or Kuroyukihime being hunted, those two’s Brain Burst would be forcefully uninstalled, and they would never be able to visit the accelerated world again - however, that is a «Game Ending», but their real life will continue afterwards.

  But even so.

  If that voice now, belonging to the Burst Linker called Chrome Disaster.

  Inside that black silver armor, the boy called Cherry Rook that should have enjoyed this game no longer exists.

  ‘Enhanced armaments will erode its user’s mind’, Kuroyukihime had said. Haruyuki half believed that, but the humanity of the person wearing the armor will mostly be lost, that short sound now clearly showed him. And that condition was probably not just limited to during acceleration. Whoever is in that armor, he would never think that person would be peacefully living in the real world.

  “Niko... He, no longer.”

  The meaning Haruyuki’s shaky voice tried to convey, the Red King guessed with her sensitivity.

  “Don’t say it. Still.. still, we might make it in time. If we destroy that armor now, maybe.”