Accel World: Dusk Robber

by Reki Kawahara

  While cowering, Haruyuki quietly whispered inside his chest.

  ‘—— I too, don’t want to give up. But, my wings... flying ability disappearing in system terms, what else can I do.’

  Slowly lifting up his lead like heavy head, he somehow managed to reply with blocked throat.

  “...For sure, in the earlier «duel», my attitude was not good. But... this, and that situation, what kind of relation is there?”

  “Err, ah, that... that is... like this...”

  At that time, from behind, the silent till now Ash Roller’s «Parent», Sky Raker’s quiet sound echoed.

  “Karasu-san. Ash is thinking like this: That maybe I, can help you take back your wings.”

  “What.”

  Haruyuki’s eyes opened wide, and his mouth also became round.

  “My, my wings...? Help... you said... but, Ash-san is, Green legion’s...”

  “Ah that’s right! Is that bad!!”

  After putting his ass on the bike’s seat with a thump, Ash Roller yelled.

  “Listen, don’t misunderstand! This is a loan! No, it’s a tactic! To boost your favorability parameter up, so you will betray the Black legion kind of secret operation, you bastard! Uhii, I am, Mega Co —— ol!!”

  The skeletal rider, Ash Roller's right middle finger was up and shaking, Sky Raker’s quiet sound flew his way.

  “That is vulgar, Ash.”

  “Yes, sorry, mistress. Th, then, here I will excuse myself and be excused!”

  With a ‘Burun!’ engine loud roar, the American bike charged towards spring at the center of the yard, made a high jump at the shore then flew towards the shining blue portal ——

  And disappeared.

  While standing there in ultra amazement, Haruyuki somehow managed to quietly whisper.

  “...Secret operation, you said... It’s no good if you said it out...”

  Hearing that, Sky Raker said in small laughter.

  “Head, mouth, and looks are bad, but other than those, a pretty good kid.”

  ‘—— Other than those, what would that be.’

  After involuntarily thinking about that for a few seconds, Haruyuki for the moment pushed Ash Roller from his consciousness, and walked a few steps towards the silver wheelchair stopped at the shore of the spring.

  A mountain of questions swirled inside his chest that he wanted to ask, and even with doubt about where to start, he hesitantly opened his mouth.

  “Ah... that is... It was Ash-san who said it. That you are, «The person closest to the sky in accelerated world», he said...”

  Then, Sky Raker’s smile somehow became transparent, and nodded.

  “What Ash said, about those wanting to but unable to fly. That would be me... or rather, it should be said that I could not fly. Since these hands, in the end, could not reach the sky.”

  The answer that he sort of expected, made Haruyuki close his eyes tight on reaction.

  ‘—— Then, this person, instead of helping me, on the other hand has the right to hinder me.’

  He whispered that inside his chest, however Haruyuki could not stop himself from jumping for the faint single line in front of his eyes.

  While blinking, he looked up, and issued the next question with raspy sounds.

  “Then..., is it true...? That you, can return my wings to normal...”

  This time, the reply did not reach him immediately.

  The metallic gloss sky color hair was lightly lifted up, and the serene avatar looked at Haruyuki for a while —— then after that clearly said.

  “That’s impossible.”

  “Wha...”

  “If a duel avatar lost something, then there is a reason for it. This place, and I, do not have the means to reverse.”

  “...”

  With his faint hope instantly cut, Haruyuki’s head lowered with heavy heart. However, right before his sight left, Sky Raker casually lifted the skirt of the white dress covering her body, and his eyes were startled out of his eye socket.

  “Take a look.”

  What was there ——, no, was not there, was what was supposed to be below the avatar’s knees.

  The slender thighs drawn with supple lines, were connected with round kneel join parts. However, the shin part of the legs that should extend from there did not exist.

  Since the avatar was riding a wheelchair, he should have thought that there was some problem with the legs. But, for what kind of reason, would the duel avatar’s legs have disappeared?

  For sure, during battles, for different kinds of reasons, parts loss due to damage was possible. For Haruyuki as well, he had numerous experiences of losing an arm or a leg during fierce fights. However, the parts loss damage were immediately canceled after the duel was over, and should have returned to brand new again in the next battlefield.

  Haruyuki held his breath, without being able to look away, and invertible thought.

  ‘Just maybe, Sky Raker also...? A Burst Linker with similar ability to Noumi that is Dusk Taker, forever robbed her leg...?’

  However, the words that were issued next, denied that suspicion.

  “I selected to cut them off myself.”

  “Wha...!?”

  “I decided that I no longer needed legs, and asked someone to cut it, while understanding it was a move of huge arrogance, egotism, and madness. Afterwards, my two legs, no matter how many times I dived into the accelerated world, never returned. In other words... inside of me, even now the fire of madness burns, is what it means. As long as it is not extinguished, my legs will probably forever remain like this.”

  To the standing still Haruyuki, the auroral eyes stared at him, and Sky Raker quietly decided.

  “Your wings are the same. Unless you face the reason behind the loss once more, and overcome it, then they will never return.”

  Reason.

  That means, Noumi/Dusk Taker’s special skill, «Demonic Commandeer».

  No, not that. It was the defeat itself. Unless Haruyuki can conquer Noumi Seiji on different fronts, and overcome the scar of defeat deeply carved in his heart, then he would never get back his wings. That was what it meant.

  However, that was already absolutely impossible. The reason was, Haruyuki’s only power which was the flight ability was lost, and Noumi who robbed it was flying freely now. He could not see any way to win.

  To Haruyuki who involuntarily kneeled down onto the grass ——.

  Sky Raker said something unexpected to him.

  “No matter what you do in this garden, it will not return your wings. However, I did not say you can not fly, Karasu-san.”

  "Let’s sit down to talk about the next part."

  With those words, the automatic wheelchair started moving with squeaking sounds, so Haruyuki chased after her while majorly confused.

  In the circular sky garden, at the East, West, South, and North edge, a white bench was setup. They were a type with no backrest, so could be sat on from any direction. Sky Raker stopped her wheelchair at the north bench facing outwards, so Haruyuki also hesitantly sat beside her. At the moment he raised his head, he was breathless from the superb view.

  He could see all of the «Wilderness» attribute Tokyo city center 300 meters below.

  The area around the civic center in Nagatacho became a huge ruin made up of red sandstones. In that valley, stone arches support the capital high above drawing an arc around.

  Further away, he was drawn in by a remarkably vivid red palace’s majestity. It was the imperial palace in the real world. No matter what kind of attribute stage, the sometimes graceful, other times full of ghastly feeling huge castle was always there.

  ‘I wonder who lives there’, as he idly thought that, suddenly Sky Raker broke the silence.

  “I thought about meeting you once, Silver Crow.”

  “Wha... ah, th, thank you...”

  He lowered his shoulders while mumbling. Seeing that appearance, as a warm smile feeling drifted by, the sky color avatar quietly co
ntinued.

  “Seven years passed since the beginning of the accelerated world, «Flight type avatar» finally appeared. When I heard about you from Ash, I was hugely shocked, and was also interested. What kind of soul... what kind of wounded spirit, could manifest power to cut off this world’s huge gravity, I wondered.”

  “No, that.. so, sorry. My, my wounds, are really not something important.”

  Shrinking his body more, Haruyuki shook his head slightly.

  “Fat in the real world, being bullied, and mopped around for a long time only... those kind of things, calling them wounds would be presumptuous, I recently thought.”

  He was having doubts about why he was saying those kind of things to a first met, and furthermore could be said to be near enemy force Burst Linker, still strangely words freely dripped from his mouth.

  Hearing that, Sky Raker again smiled and shook her head sideways.

  “After installation, the Brain Burst program that read the owner’s consciousness for the duel avatar’s resource, «Wounds of heart», does not always mean the strength of anger or hatred.”

  “Wha...? Th, that is, wounds mean, negative feelings right?”

  “That’s right, but not only that. Having large negative thoughts, for example, a boiling kind of anger as a source, will without exception create a duel avatar whose power leans towards pure destructive power. For example, the huge disaster that spread through the accelerated world, «Chrome Disaster».”

  Hearing that name, Haruyuki took a sharp breath.

  Seeing Disaster Armor, Chrome Disaster’s fearsome attack power, had shaken him to the marrow of bone, and he saw it only a few months ago. For sure, that enhanced armament was stained with tremendous feelings of rage, he thought.

  “...And then also, avatars that use grudges as a source obtain curse-like indirect attack power, and avatars made from despair in many cases hurt themselves to damage the enemy, a kind of self destruct type. But, not all of the avatars have that kind of destructive power, which you already understand right?”

  “...Yea.”

  It was exactly like what she said. Haruyuki’s wings were not direct attack power, and Ash Roller’s bike also. However, then, «Wounds of heart», what would it ——

  “Wound, means lost. The hole in the heart from cutting off something important.”

  As if reading what was inside Haruyuki’s chest, Sky Raker quietly answered.

  “Holding the hollow hole, and having anger, resentment, despair —— or again reaching with ones' hand held out high. That choice determines the type of avatar.”

  “The hand... reaching out?”

  “Yes. That is «Hope». Wound of the heart, is also the flip side of desire.”

  After affirming emphatically, Sky Raker lifted up her face, and looked straight at Haruyuki’s eyes from under the white hat.

  “Silver Crow. You, above any Burst Linker that appeared, should have most desired to reach the sky in your heart. Your strength of will aiming for the sky created your flight ability, and the wings. Listen... you did not fly because of the wings. It’s the opposite. So that you can fly, you made the wings materialize.”

  “So that I can... fly...”

  He muttered that with raspy sound, and repeated that many times in his chest to understand the meaning —— then Haruyuki’s face under the silver mask distorted, and he sharply shook his head.

  “That... is foolish. If just willpower can fly, then... those wings, are something only for looks...”

  “Ultimately it is exactly that. Through some kind of phenomenon, the wings that you thought were objects, and the «Flight ability» in the system, were robbed. However, the root source of the flight ability, your willpower, has not been robbed. Since to rob that, no matter with what kind of special skill, is impossible.

  “Lie... it could not be, that kind of talk!”

  Then, he grabbed his knees and deeply hung his head.

  “Even if my heart, has the will to fly in the sky, that is just... a trigger. Brain Burst read that, and created those wings and flight ability. Then, in this world, as I thought that ability itself should be the essence! Unless that... that was taken back, I will, never...”

  Holding his hands tight enough to break his fingers, Haruyuki said that in a moan.

  For a while, just the sound of wind blowing through at 300 meters above ground echoed in the surrounding. Right in front of his eyes, at the garden’s edge extending to the sky, flower of names unknown to him swayed, and the petals flew apart without a sound.

  “...That is, you want to say something like this?”

  Sky Raker’s sound that reached him carried by the wind, even after Haruyuki’s outburst of anger shout, was calm as usual, no only that, it contained an echo of amusement.

  “In this accelerated world, something like willpower is meaningless. Set by the system, only computed numeric data determine different kinds of phenomena.”

  “...Since, it’s like that right. This is inside a VR game. Other than digital data, what else can you say is there.”

  “This wheelchair.”

  The sudden unrelated words lured Haruyuki’s face up.

  “Look carefully. This is not an enhanced armament. Just, as seen, an object made up of chair and wheels. However earlier, you saw that this wheelchair moved by itself right?”

  While confused and unable to grasp the real meaning of the question, Haruyuki answered.

  “Ye... yea. It has some kind of internal propulsion system right? Like a motor, somewhere.”

  ‘—— There must be one. Since, earlier it moved by itself. Probably in her hand a small controller...’

  While thinking like that, he extended his neck and stared at the elegant silver vehicle.

  And then, his eyes became slits after being hit by a huge shock.

  Nothing. Small axle, hub, rim or any motor like parts could not be seen. Then maybe jet propulsion equipment, and looked behind, but a nozzle or anything like that did not exist anywhere.

  “Bu, but, since earlier, by itself, it moved.”

  In front of Haruyuki who muttered in a daze, Sky Raker lightly opened her overlapping thin hands for him to see. Controls or anything like that, there was not any sign of it.

  In that posture, the fully stopped avatar riding on the wheelchair ——.

  With a ‘squeak’ wheel sound, slowly backed away.

  “...No, no way.”

  ‘Squeak, squeak’. The chair moved back more, and on the grass, suddenly spun around. Furthermore, like a figure skater on a sheet of ice, it slid front, back, left, and right in graceful movements. After finishing a few seconds of dance, the chair stopped at its earlier position without a single inch of difference.

  “How was that?”

  “How was that... you said.”

  Trembles shook Haruyuki’s shoulders, as his eyes opened to their limits.

  —— should not have moved. This world created by the «Brain Burst» program, could be said to pursue reality as if it was another reality itself. Different kind of machines need motive equipment, and the motive equipment must have a source of energy. For example, if it was Ash Roller’s bike, there was gasoline in the tank, and the drive wheel was connected to the engine with chains so it could be turned. That was why, when Haruyuki lifted up the rear wheel in that duel, that bike could no longer move. If it was another game, something like the drive system would not matter, and even the front wheel could dash by itself, without a doubt.

  That’s why, this wheelchair, moving by itself without any drive system sound or jet exhaust light was ——

  “Not possible... It should not. Something..., exactly, what kind of power is moving that chair?”

  The question that Haruyuki gasped out.

  The sky color haired duel avatar, with a graceful smile on her small mask, answered.

  “It is Will.”

  “Wha...!?”

  “It was moved with only willpower.”

  This time he wa
s hit with a shock that almost made his soul leave his body, as Haruyuki shouted many times haltingly like a broken sound file.

  “Bu, but. But, but... th, that is, as if. As if... it is movement by will!! Th, that means, that is... «Psychokinesis» ability or something... like that...?”

  Here Sky Raker’s smile changed to wry smile, and largely shook her head.

  “Fufufu, that is not it. This world... Normal Duel Field, or Unlimited Neutral Field, for Burst Linkers that fight in the accelerated world, anyone can have the same power.”

  “Wha... what!?”

  “Please think about it. You could freely fly when you had your wings. Isn’t that right?”

  “Ye, yes...”

  “But, how did you manage to control your wings? Since the real you, did not have experience with using wings or anything like them.”

  He had not thought about that before, so when asked he blinked in surprise, then Haruyuki involuntarily moved his shoulders as he hesitantly answered.

  “Th, that was... moving around the shoulder blade area...”

  “If you just did that, then you would not be able to use something like your fist properly during flight, right? Please remember it... even if you are not conscious of it, your will power controlled the flight path. Isn’t that right?”

  “...”

  While speechless, ‘Now that you mention it’, he thought. Indeed Silver Crow moved both hands around a lot, and without any running start, he could immediately lift off at any place, or stop flying in mid air, and start hovering. At that time, if you want him to say how he was moving his body —— he could not answer.

  But, he also could not swallow Sky Raker’s explanation, so he said while shaking his head slightly.

  “Will... power. But, then, that, how is it read? The Neuro Linker having that function... should not...”

  After those words left his mouth, inside Haruyuki’s ears, he heard an echo of Kuroyukihime’s words from her speech.

  ‘—— The Neuro Linker, has the power to access things other than sensory cortex and motor cortex in the brain.’

  But that, should be about the earlier talk of «Wound of heart» related conversation. Then he could understand that far. Because he could interpret it as wounds equal to memory. However, how do you convert something ambiguous like «Will power» into data?