Accel World: Return of Princess Snow Black

by Reki Kawahara

  GAGYAAAAAN!!

  He greatly swung his right arm and engraved several scars into the wall.

  “It’s too late!! You’ve only recently become a Burst Linker, haven’t you!? And you think you’ve become my equal with just that, Haru!? Since you have confidence in your «acceleration» power, you think you can get back Chii-chan again!? It’s no good, Haru. You can’t win against me. Whether it be in studying, sports, Chii-chan’s feelings…and of course, even in this Accel World. I’ll make you understand. Understand my power…against that weak duel avatar of yours.”

  SHINE!! Both of Cyan Pile’s eyes emitted a dreadful light.

  He’s serious. Takumu seriously intends to fight.

  Inside Haruyuki, there were still feelings like, ‘If I exhaust all my words, he’ll understand. I want to explain Chiyuri’s and also my true feelings. I don’t want to fight like this.’

  But, if Haruyuki lost here.

  Cyan Pile would duel with Black Lotus again. And would hunt while she’s unconscious. At that instant, Kuroyukihime would lose all her points, and also lose her acceleration ability at the same time.

  Just that. Whatever else happened, he had to prevent just that.

  “…Taku. You certainly are amazing. You can study, play sports, and are so cool. You have all the things that I don’t have.”

  Looking down, Haruyuki murmured in a subdued voice.

  But, immediately after, he stared straight at Cyan Pile and shouted sharply.

  “But, you’re an idiot. You’re a great big idiot!”

  “…What? I’m an idiot?”

  “That’s right, because you can’t win against me! Have you forgotten? Since long ago, in just how many games were you able to win against me?”

  “…Haru. Haru.”

  There was a laugh mixed in there, but it was a fierce-sounding voice.

  “Then, right here and now…I’ll make you lose the last of your pride!!”

  BANG!! Cyan Pile’s boots kicked off from the floor.

  With that, he shortened the two-meter distance between them with an amazing speed that didn’t suit his huge body.

  But, as expected, compared to the charge of Ash Roller’s bike, it was slow.

  I’ll slip past him. And then move to somewhere more spacious. The entrance hall…no, the rooftop.

  Haruyuki concentrated his focus on Cyan Pile’s right hand. The opponent was a close-combat type, so as long as he didn’t enter the range of that needle, he wouldn’t receive damage.

  After seeing Cyan Pile’s movements as he drew back his right arm in preparation, Haruyuki also dashed in order to escape to the opposite side of him.

  Silver Crow’s speed, which nearly his only redeeming feature, seemed to be unexpected for the opponent as well. With a hint of a little surprise, the right arm drew an arc and stuck out towards Haruyuki.

  —I can dodge it!!

  While predicting the attack trajectory, Haruyuki lowered his posture and tried to cut across right next to Cyan Pile’s left leg.

  GASHUN!!

  At that moment, an unexpected sound rang out.

  In the corner of Haruyuki’s wide-open sight, flames spouted out from the tail end of the thick pipe attached to Cyan Pile’s right arm.

  From the pointed end at the front, a shining and thick steel needle shot out at a speed he couldn’t follow.

  It seemed to be a device that extended out double its original length instead of a firearms-type weapon, but that range was enough to catch Silver Crow.

  CLANG!! Haruyuki heard an unpleasant breaking noise go through his body.

  At the same time, an impact. And a numb-like dull pain.

  Haruyuki saw the tip of the steel needle cut pierce through and cut off his arm from the left elbow.

  Haruyuki belatedly remembered that «pile» meant «stake».

  Falling on the floor while emitting sparks from its end, his arm immediately smashed into thousands of small fragments and vanished.

  His health gauge in the left corner of his vision also suddenly decreased by almost 30% from that single attack.

  But, Haruyuki didn’t have the time to regret receiving such great damage so quickly right at the start. While his posture was destroyed and he endured having his back noisily strike the hallway’s wall and falling down, Haruyuki saw the still-extended brutal steel needle—no, steel stake be stored back into Cyan Pile’s right arm.

  It was clear that, the instant the sake was reloaded in the launcher tube, it would fire that terrible attach attack again.

  Its attack attribute was most likely «piercing».

  The metal-color Silver Crow should have resistance against that. For it to have torn apart his arm with a single blow despite that, was it because the place that was hit was bad, or because there was a difference of three levels between them, or was it more simply Cyan Pile’s strength?

  Even as he instantly considered those things, Haruyuki readjusted his posture and created distance between them by jumping far.

  Like that, he dashed in the direction of the entrance hall at full power without looking back.

  “Hahaha! What, are you going to suddenly run away, Haru!!”

  Plunging into the hall as if urged forward by that warped laughter which sounded behind him, Haruyuki quickly ran his gaze over the surroundings.

  The long benches that were lined up in the waiting space had changed into cast iron with thorns poking out of them like some medieval torture device, and the reception counter to the right had rusted barbed wire twined around it. Naturally, there were no signs of people.

  And behind the counter was the thing he was looking for. Elevator doors.

  In the «End of the Century» stage, you couldn’t enter inside the buildings and so naturally the elevators wouldn’t function either, but if it was the «Purgatory» stage where the indoor was reconstructed in such detail, it may function.

  Rushing over to it, Haruyuki hit the skull-shaped button next to the door, which had turned into ferocious-looking iron grill bars, while praying. Sure enough, with a grave metallic thud and clang, the iron grill opened up left and right. He clutched his right hand while thinking ‘Alright!’.

  From behind him, the thudding footsteps of Cyan Pile approached moment by moment.

  Plunging into the prison cell-like elevator box, he slammed his right hand into the button engraved with an ‘R’. Quickly, move quickly.

  Just as the iron grill closed with a frustratingly slow speed, something hit the door with a loud clang. Sticking through the space of about five centimeters between the grills was a shining sharp tip.

  “…!!”

  Stopping himself from nearly letting out a scream, Haruyuki sprang back at once and pressed his back against the wall.

  GASHUN!!

  The steel stake, which was launched while pushing and bending the grill a little, stopped just barely a few centimeters in front of Silver Crow’s thin abdomen.

  At the same time has that brutal radiance was pulled back out, the box finally shook with a clattering and the elevator began to rise.

  “Hahaha! Hahahahaha!!”

  As that howling laughter continued to stick close from below his feet, Haruyuki stamped his right foot down hard and tore it away.

  Getting out on the rooftop, Haruyuki turned his gaze around while taking a rough breath.

  “……”

  His eyes widened unconsciously.

  The sky of the «Purgatory» stage was filled with a creepy yellow light, and darkish clouds were swelling up there like living creatures. The surrounding streets, which should have originally been at the center of the Sugunami area, had uniformly changed into a strange living creature-like form, and shined in a slimy dark-red rusty color.

  The group of lance-like spires that could be seen over that way seemed to be the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office in Shinjuku and the skyscrapers that surrounded it.

  Just how far did this stage spread? As Haruyuki thought that, he suddenly
noticed something and held his breath.

  There were people.

  No, those silhouettes were too strange to be called human. Lined up in small groups on the surrounding buildings that were taller than the hospital, they looked down at Haruyuki. They were unknown Burst Linkers—spectators.

  Why!? After a moment of astonishment, Haruyuki finally realized.

  Haruyuki was currently cut off from the Global Net, but the other person in this duel, Takumu, was probably globally connected just before the match had started. The reason why he would go so far as to risk the danger letting others intrude was unknown, but in any case this stage was opened to the outside and Burst Linkers who had registered Cyan Pile and Silver Crow in their automatic gallery had appeared as a result.

  However, even if there was a gallery, there was no great difference to the situation.

  The light blue arrow cursor that was visible in his vision began to change direction slowly as it slightly trembled, indicating that Cyan Pile had also gotten on the elevator and was heading towards the roof.

  After moving about ten meters across the vast roof, Haruyuki turned around to face the elevator door. In this place, there was plenty of space to dodge and evade unlike the hallway.

  I’ve already grasped the range of Cyan Pile’s steel stake with my body. If I’m careful and pay attention to the direction of his right, it should be possible to dodge it. Don’t be afraid. I have to do it.

  As Haruyuki told himself that, the elevator stopped with a clang ahead of him, and the door slowly opened left and right.

  As his huge figure rubbed against the box that fully enclosed him, Cyan Pile stepped out onto the roof, and the eyes within his slits glowed weakly.

  “…I see. If it’s here, you’ll be able to use the strategy of hit-and-run by darting about, Haru…no, Silver Crow.”

  “And your body build must have been getting hot down there.”

  “Ahaha, to think you of all people would say such a thing.”

  While letting out deep-throated laugh, Cyan Pile slowly began to move forward.

  Haruyuki lowered his posture and measured the distance between them.

  He shouldn’t have been able to see through Silver Crow’s speed yet. A chance to win lay only there. Before his eyes can get accustomed to it, seize victory no matter what.

  Just before his heavy-looking boot took its fourth step and connected with the ground, Haruyuki kicked off the ground with all his strength.

  The air range in his ears with a swishing sound, and he instantly got close to that huge blue figure.

  Cyan Pile’s right arm followed the straight-rushing Haruyuki while aiming.

  —Here!!

  Haruyuki unexpectedly took off from his left leg, and swung his course to the right. The steel stake then shot out at ultra-high speed along with a yell. It was nearly impossible to react after seeing it launch, but if you anticipate its collision path beforehand—it’s possible!

  The tip of the steel stake stopped just short of Haruyuki’s left cheek as he drew an arc and circled around to Cyan Pile’s left side. While feeling heat on his cheek as if it burned, Haruyuki kicked off the ground with his right leg using all his strength, and—

  “U…raaah!!”

  Haruyuki’s right fist drive into Cyan Pile’s virtually open flank. A strong reaction. The huge blue body shook.

  More—Keep going!!

  Running after Cyan Pile’s back as his body spun and turned around, Haruyuki dashed forward with another step and this time lodged a right spin-kick into the enemy’s left calf. As Cyan Pile lost his balance, Haruyuki sent a final left knee-kick to the middle of his back.

  BANG!! A heavy impact. His huge figure bent forward in a ‘く’ shape.

  Staggeringly making some distance between them, Cyan Pile groaned hatefully.

  “Guh…as…as expected, you really are good at games, Haru. But, such weak attacks have no effect… at all!!”

  WHOOSH, just barely avoiding the left fist that was swung at him, Haruyuki rolled his body with that momentum and buried his right heel into the back of Cyan Pile’s defenseless protruding neck.

  “Gguuuuuh!!”

  Blocking his ears to the crushing scream from Takumu’s voice, Haruyuki continued his rush further.

  He unleashed a combo without pause using not only both his legs and right arm, but even his torn-up left arm too.

  Before he knew it, scream-like shouts also started coming out from his own mouth as well.

  “You… idiot!! You great big idiot!! Chiyu!! Chiyu didn’t want for you to be first place among the first years, the metropolitan tournament champion, or anything like that!!”

  Jumping high using a front kick he desperately fired as a kick-off point, Haruyuki grabbed Cyan Pile’s mask and hit his own silver helmet against it with all his strength.

  CRACK, with a breaking sound, part of the blue mask broke and fell.

  As Cyan Pile lost his balance and fell to the ground on his back, Haruyuki sat on top of his chest and kept repeatedly hitting with his right fist.

  “Chiyu only wished for you to stay as you were!! The one making her see only the past, who is making her think ‘I want to return to the old days’, is you, Takumu!! The only one that changed among us is you!!”

  Without thinking of anything, he cried out those words in a violent fury.

  But, just as Haruyuki’s voice resounded, both of Cyan Pile’s eyes let out a shudderingly cold and strong light beneath his fissure-like slits.

  “Don’t…get…”

  Suddenly, both of Cyan Pile’s thick arms crossed together with a jerk as if protecting himself.

  But, Haruyuki didn’t immediately realize that this wasn’t a defensive movement.

  “Don’t get cockyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!”

  At the same time as he fully expanded his two arms to the left and right, the sharp tips of over ten stakes rose to the surface of Cyan Pile’s bodysuit from chest to belly with a ‘HOGOGOGOGO’ noise.

  What!? This is bad—Dodge—

  But, the instant that Haruyuki tried to kick off the ground with both legs and jump away.

  “—«Splash Stingeeeeeeeeer»!!”

  ZUDODODODODO!!

  Along with a rapid-fire sound like a heavy machine gun, the many stakes were shot straight at Haruyuki from close range.

  “Kkuooo!!”

  He somehow managed to avoid the stakes flying towards his head and the middle of his chest. However, immediately after, Haruyuki received dreadful impact to his left shoulder, left flank and right knee, and was blown high up like scrapped garbage and then fell back down to the floor of the rooftop on his back.

  “Guh…hah…!!”

  A gasp mixed with a shout was squeezed out from his throat. His vision flickered, and a dull and heavy pain coursed through his whole body. He couldn’t believe that this was virtual damage being transmitted from his Neuro Linker.

  What on earth—was that just now!?

  As Haruyuki supported himself on his right arm and somehow lifted up his upper body, Cyan Pile sluggishly stood up first in front of him.

  “Ku…fu, fufufufufu.”

  As if some screws had come loose in him, laughter slowly leaked out from beneath Cyan Pile’s blue mask.

  “Kufufufu. You’ve…pushed me around quite vigorously, haven’t you? I was just a little surprised. But…after all, you are an annoying little bug. It seems you even expressly built up my special technique gauge.”

  “Special…technique…”

  While murmuring that, Haruyuki checked the gauges in the upper part of his vision once again.

  Of the thick health gauges that extended left and right, Cyan Pile had 60% left. He had received damage beyond words during Haruyuki’s rush. But Haruyuki’s, due to directly receiving those blindly fired stakes just now, already had only about 30% left.

  And, another light green gauge extended beneath each of their health gauges.

  Cyan Pile’s was shining clearly close t
o 70%. In comparison, Haruyuki’s was nearly full to the tank.

  “Hey, hey, don’t tell me you’re only hearing about it for the first time, Silver Crow.”

  While letting out ‘Kukuku’ laughter, Cyan Pile slowly began to move forward.

  “The exchange of special techniques is the essence of «duels». The «Splash Stinger» just now was my Level 2 special technique. It’s an ideal attack for shooting down noisy little bugs, right? Oh, speaking of which, your gauge should have also built up a lot. Please, by all means, use it as much as you like as well.”

  Haruyuki clenched his teeth hard.

  The only special technique provided to Silver Crow, «Headbutt», couldn’t hope to oppose Cyan Pile’s technique that had a much long range than his. Furthermore, its motions were long and obvious, as though clearly saying that he was preparing to attack.

  …Damn it, I don’t need something like a special technique. I have my fist, feet and speed.

  At the same time as his swaying vision settled down, Haruyuki threw all his strength into his right leg in order to quickly stand up.

  But.

  He heard a horrible cracking noise.

  And a metallic clanking noise from his body falling back onto the ground.

  As he confusedly looked down, what lay in front of him was a thin silver leg, which had been pierced by a stake shot and broke off from the knee—

  “Aha, ahahahahaha!!”

  Cyan Pile’s piercing loud laughter.

  “Your leg came off!! How fragile!! And yet you’re a metal-color!?”

  That voice didn’t reach Haruyuki’s consciousness.

  Damn it. Damn it!!

  Without my leg, I can’t run anymore. Let alone dodging or dashing, even just moving is unreliable.

  The creeping signs of panic quickly chilled the bottom of his body.

  This is bad. I can’t lose here. I have to protect senpai no matter what.

  THUD.

  A boot stepped down on Haruyuki’s torn-off leg and shattered it like glass.

  As Haru looked up, two bluish-white eyes narrowed quietly.

  “…In the end, this is how you are, Haru.”

  A faint whispery voice.

  “Being like that suits you. Though, you really said whatever you wanted to say earlier, didn’t you? As if only you understand Chii-chan?”