“The wish of this person who created this sky colored «Wings», and the feelings of entrusting that to me, even if I tell you, you would definitely not understand. For you who think of the accelerated world as just a means. And then... that you, do not have the qualification to be called a Burst Linker!!”
The right hand filled with white shine, was thrust by Haruyuki directly at Noumi.
The dusk colored avatar, continued to be silent for a while.
Eventually, with a tilt of his head —— he said.
“I heard that before, that speech. «Burst Linker»? ...When, have I used those words?”
“...What?”
“Hey, senpai. Do you know? Burst Linker, is a self calling started by the first Brain Burst owners. No matter where you search in the system, those words will not be used. That’s why we will never use it.”
“We...?”
Before he had time to think about the meaning of that word, Noumi strongly spit out.
“The properly way of calling, should be Acceleration Ability Owner... no, «Acceleration User». Use the given privilege to the maximum degree, take whatever your hand can grab. That should be the form that you and me should become. So... about time we settle this. I and senpai, whose mind power —— that is, «Desire», is stronger!!”
With a ‘voom’ moaning sound, Noumi’s right hand scattered intense waves.
“...Mind power is not desire. It is «Wish»!!”
Haruyuki also shouted, and gathered light swords on both hands.
At the same time, from every part of his body, he gathered all the feelings of hope and seeking for the sky. He filled his chest with clear sky blue, and directed that flow to the boosters on his back.
This was the true goal of why Sky Raker had Haruyuki train the Incarnate System. Originally, after the «Gale Thruster» fired once, it could not be used to jump in a short time, but that energy could be charged by mind power. If that was possible, then this booster would no longer be a simple jump support equipment. It will become real wings that is capable of continuous flight.
The exhausted third gauge, fully charged all at once.
From Haruyuki’s back, bluish white flames sprayed out.
Noumi’s black wings were extended to the limit.
Right after, both of them, trailing silver and purple trajectories in the sky, attacked at maximum speed.
“Ooooo!!”
With a psyche from the bottom of his stomach, Haruyuki’s left hand sword thrusted out at light speed.
“Chieeee!!”
With blade like spirit, Noumi’s right hand claws swung down.
A ‘Gakiyuuun!!’ kind of impact sound echoed, shaking the sky. Two color flashes swirled, tangled up, then exploded ——.
Two arms, both torn at the middle, blew apart.
“Not ye... yettt!!”
With a roar, Haruyuki continued with his right hand sword, thrusting it at the center of Noumi’s chest.
The arm that became a blinding ray of light, pierced through the blackish purple armor without a sound, burying all the way up to his shoulder.
However at the same time, Noumi’s right foot that was covered by waves of emptiness, sandwiched itself around Haruyuki’s left flank. The HP bar of both, dropped by 30% all at once.
While enduring sharp pain that might burn out the core of his head, Haruyuki wrung out all his remaining mind power, right below —— towards the grounds of Umesato middle school and opened his boosters all the way.
The two avatars that were locked together, dropped down like a shooting star trailing flames. The hard ground, came closer and closer.
They would crash like that, even with about the same HP bar remaining, Silver Crow no longer had any remaining power of flight.
Maybe his intuition told him that, Dusk Taker’s body curved up, taking a defensive position.
However Haruyuki lifted up his head, with his eyes remaining open, he made the final adjustment to their falling trajectory ——
And shouted.
“Taku, now ——!!”
“Whatt...”
Noumi gasped, and right in the center of his face that was quickly lifted up,
A bolt of lightning charged in from the ground, Takumu’s special skill —— «Lightning Cyan Spike» arrived.
With that attack as a break, Haruyuki did not miss the timing of when the falling speed dropped, and after pulling out his right arm from Dusk Taker’s chest, he turned his body 180 degrees, then fired all the energy remaining in his boosters.
Even with that, at the moment when his two feet touched the ground, many cracks opened up on the white silver armor, and sparks were sprayed out. The ground was also cracked radially, and he collapsed to his knees in the center.
One second later, tracing the remaining flashing trajectory in the sky, Dusk Taker fell down on a place a few meters away.
From the look of him, it was a mystery that he still had HP gauge remaining. His both arms were lost, and a huge hole was opened up in his chest armor. His ball like face visor had spiderweb cracks, and the center was a black on black hole pierced through, with crackling sparks welling up.
Maybe he still had the will to move, as the tip of the wings that lay flat on the ground shook, but that could never flap the wings.
‘...It is finished.’
Haruyuki whispered that inside his chest. As for Dusk Taker, one attack of any kind on him later will probably determine the battle at that time.
However Haruyuki remained crouched down and stationary, as he waited for the footsteps slowly approaching from behind.
Eventually standing beside him was Takumu —— Cyan Pile’s awful shape. Most of his body was burned black, with smoke rising up.
However that, was not from anyone’s attack. It was from his own damage. Dragging the avatar that could not move too well due to the remains of painful sensation, he sank himself half way into the magma pool created by Dusk Taker’s flamethrower. For at least one attack, to gain the gauge required to release his special skill.
Haruyuki did not know about that because he saw it. If he looked at Takumu even once during the fight, then Noumi would notice that intent, and would see through Takumu’s plan. That was why, Haruyuki never looked down from the sky. He just believed. That if it was Takumu, he would definitely do that.
“...Noumi.”
Haruyuki quietly spoke to the out of power dusk color avatar.
“The reason you lost, was not because of my «Mind power attack» or «Gale Thruster». It is that we are not one person. And then that is, also the reason why you cannot win against us from now on.”
There was no answer.
After looking up at his comrade beside him, Haruyuki made a small and strong nod.
Takumu also returned the nod, then held out his burnt left hand. Haruyuki held it with his right hand, and stood up with that support.
The remaining time was down to two minutes. In order to add the final attack on Dusk Taker, Haruyuki moved forward one, two steps.
‘...Rin.’
It was at that time when he felt he heard that faint sound.
Stopping still, Haruyuki quickly looked left and right.
No one was there. There should not be anyone. This field was not created in the Global Net, it was made through the Umesato middle school’s local net. That was why, there should not be anymore Burst Linker appearing ——
‘Chirin.’
Again, this time for sure, a clear, however somehow sad sound echoed.
Haruyuki and Takumu turned at the same time towards the source of the sound —— and looked up at the sky.
In the Purgatory field’s green colored sky, there was not even any kind of shadow. However in the next moment, Haruyuki caught a small movement in the edge of his view.
It was not the sky. It was on the roof of the school building standing on the south side. Over there, surrounded by spear sharp cast iron fence, far fresher than the color of the sky, shining green l
ike a peridot, was a small avatar ——
“Wha...”
That whisper, was it from himself, or Takumu, Haruyuki did not know.
That was, that avatar was.
«Lime Bell».
That is Chiyuri, Kurashima Chiyuri. However, why? Chiyuri should still had not registered Silver Crow or Cyan Pile for automatic gallery.
“Chi...”
Haruyuki tried to call out with his raspy sound.
However as if to avoid that, Chiyuri’s left hand equipped large bell was lifted towards the sky.
He felt that he heard a voice. Riding on the breeze in the stage, very faint, instead of sound, it was something that could only be quietly felt ——
‘...Sorry, Ta-kun. ...Sorry, Haru.’
And then, the yellowish green avatar, swung the left hand bell. At the same time, voiced the special skill name.
“...«Citron Call».”
The echo of the bell ringing sound was incredibly beautiful, however maybe due to the stage sound effect interfering, it was heard as somewhat distorted.
The emerald drops that glitter as they rain down from the roof —— covered the almost dead Dusk Taker.
Haruyuki and Takumu, could only look on as the deep wounds carved on the blackish purple armor, all started repairing from the tip.
“Wh... y?”
Haruyuki heard from his own throat, the cracked and crushed sound.
“Why... Chiyu?”
(TO BE CONTINUED)
Author’s Notes
It’s been a long time, or it might be nice to meet you, I am Kawahara Reki. Thank you very much for reading “Accel World 3 Dusk Robber”.
This Accel World series is based on the style of a «VR Fighting Game Novel», but it could not be strictly said to be a game novel, which I think many felt it after reading the first volume.
Since the presented game system, is sometimes transcended by vague things like «Spirit» or «Miracle». Those are things that should not be in a game novel, and I also ‘try to avoid that kind of development!’ from the bottom of my heart (laugh), however after writing, it somehow became like that.
That was probably because, the question of ‘Is winning according to the system really winning?’ might have remained inside me for a long time. When one side used scissors in rock-paper-scissors, the other side won with rock... ‘is that really okay?’, something like that. If it was the hero (or the rival), then he should be able to win with paper (laugh).
Yes, ‘I know that I am saying something unreasonable!’, so here, I tried a system that could tear that apart, and this was the thing called «Incarnate System» that debuted this volume. That is, imagination and willpower will basically become an element of win or lose in the game, and doing this unreasonable thing is ultra messy, but could this story continue to be a game novel, or that it might be visited by even more chaos... ‘everyone please look after it while your patience capacity lasts!’ I think!
Just that, thinking about it, of the many systems in the real world, the only thing that can become the energy to exceed the common sense framework is imagination. Inside the world are walls wherever you look making you sigh, but imagination will always allow you to fly pass those. So I write nice things wrapped in smoke and take the easy way out.
While new characters debut, illustrator HIMA-san who was greatly trouble with designs for real and avatar, and editor Miki-san focused a lot on me as I was as usual similar to the hero Haruyuki-kun who was facing backwards to the limit, both of whom I am very much in debt to this time also.
And then for you who read to the very last, you have as much thanks as my mind power can materialize!
2009 July 23rd, Kawahara Reki
References
↑ network term, sending out a packet of info to check net connectivity issues such as traffic speed, reliability, and distance.
↑ game term, weakening effects
↑ all three are pork related Okinawa dishes
↑ Sata andagi— sweet deep fried buns of dough similar to doughnuts
↑ 征二 - the 2nd character 二 means two or second. People with names like that usually have an older brother with the kanji 一 (one or first) in the name.
↑ 氏 - general name calling term that could mean Mr. or related.
↑ Japan, so this is km/h.
↑ Karasu is 鴉 in Japanese, which means Crow or Raven. Normally Silver Crow is spelled as シルバー・クロウ. I will use Karasu when the kanji word is used to differentiate between them.
↑ Spelled as 心意 in Japanese, a combination of 心 (heart/mind) and 意 (intent, will).
↑ Also spelled as 心意, with Incarnate in katakana beside the word, which I will use just ‘mind power’ normally. Unless it has system to go with it.
↑ I think he wanted to say 30cm direct connect, but I have to match what Kuroyukihime heard in the next line.
↑ The way this word is spelled - マチズム (Machizumu) might be an insult to Takumu’s name Mayuzumi.
↑ I can only make out a word or two of these: Tsukamu might be catch or acquire, Kezuru = cut, and Ubau should be rob.
Back to Volume 2 Return to Main Page Forward to Volume 4
Volume 1 Illustrations - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Author's Notes
Volume 2 Illustrations - Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Author's Notes
Volume 3 Illustrations - Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Author's Notes
Volume 4 Illustrations - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Author's Notes
Volume 5 Illustrations - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Author's Notes
Volume 6 Illustrations - Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Author's Notes
Volume 7 Illustrations - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Author's Notes
Volume 8 Illustrations - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Author's Notes
Volume 9 Illustrations - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Author's Notes
Volume 10 Illustrations - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Author's Notes
Volume 11 Illustrations - Prologue - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 14 - Author's Notes
Volume 12 Illustrations - Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Sky Blue Wings Chapter 1 - Sky Blue Wings Chapter 2 - Author's Notes
Accel World: Dusk Robber Page 23
