Accel World: Flight Towards the Blue Sky

by Reki Kawahara

  Haruyuki also brought together the five fingers of his right hand and shouted.

  “Laser…Sword!!”

  A sword of white light met and crashed into the purple claws from below.

  The mixture was instant. The point of the light sword and the tips of the claws were both cut into parts, but both attacks still headed towards their targets like that with their remaining mind power and struck them.

  A thick straight line cut appeared on Dusk Taker’s chest. And five thin cuts were engraved into Silver Crow’s chest, and scattered sparks of two colors. While gritting his teeth in sharp pain, Haruyuki continued ascending like that, and then spread out both his hands and went into free-fall when the energy gauge of his booster was emptied.

  In exchange for possessing overwhelming propulsion thrust, the Enhanced Armament «Gale Thruster» that he had received from Sky Raker would consume its entire gauge once ignited. Dividing it into several take-offs or hovering by adjusting the propulsive force were also impossible. When he reached the peak of an upward trajectory, the only thing he could do after that was control the direction of the fall with the stabilizer equipped to the booster. And then about ten minutes were needed in order to refill the gauge.

  But, through the use of «Movement Ability Expansion» mind power, Haruyuki could perform an override on the system with the thought of ‘I can fly’. Of course, he was nowhere near the level where he could actually fly just by thinking that. But now, when he has the Gale Thruster on his back, the system would shorten the gauge’s charging time in order to conform with the interruption caused by his imagination.

  In other words, though he was still far from mastering the Incarnate System, Haruyuki could fly by combining the two powers of the «image of flying» that had been ingrained into his body through his experiences until now, and of the «Gale Thruster» which was a propulsion power prescribed by the system.

  The problem was—that it takes about five seconds to activate the mind power for restoring the gauge.

  And Noumi, who had already seen his mind power charge in their last duel, also knew that.

  While falling, Haruyuki spread out both his hands wide and firmly visualized the image of flapping wings on his back into the sky.

  Following Niko’s advice, he had considered naming this mind power as well in order to shorten the activation time. However, Haruyuki felt a strong reluctance to giving a «technique name» to the feeling of wishing for the sky and fixating that image.

  That was because that wish was something that Haruyuki had continued to hide within the depths of his heart for a long, long time, and was also the core that the avatar Silver Crow had been born from. The only other thing that it could be called was a «hope».

  Therefore, Haruyuki just silently prayed. That ‘I can fly’. That ‘Even if my wings were taken, even if I was hurt so much and made to crawl on the ground so many times, I still aim towards the sky’.

  That prayer, however, was only a big chance to Noumi.

  “As if I’d let you!!”

  Shouting sharply, Dusk Taker flapped his black wings violently and rushed straight at him.

  Haruyuki disregarded the ominous flying sound as he mustered all his force of will and completed the image.

  A clear sky-blue color spread out within his chest. That Over-Ray was released as phantom wings from his back, flowed into the booster attached there, and changed into the fuel known as ‘will’.

  *SUGA!* An intense shock was produced, and five claws gouged deeply into Haruyuki’s chest, intersecting with the cuts from earlier.

  “Guh…”

  Even as a great mass of sparks scattered out along with his groan, Haruyuki suddenly opened his eyes wide and grasped the tentacle attached to Dusk Taker’s left arm as he tried to fly away.

  The wings that materialized «flight ability», when compared to his booster, certainly had a higher degree of endless freedom and flexibility. However, it still had a weak point. In compensation for its high mobility power, it lacked stability.

  As his tentacle was pulled back by Haruyuki, Noumi lost his balance and fell halfway into a tailspin. Haruyuki used that momentum as well, swung with all his strength and instantly cut off the tentacle with his light sword. As the centrifugal force piled onto his propulsive power, Dusk Taker was blown away horizontally with violent force.

  “Chiii!”

  Leaking out an angry voice, he violently moved his wings in order to regain balance. But his control didn’t return so easily.

  After facing his body towards him and sucking in a big breath—

  Haruyuki shouted.

  “Fl…yyyyyyy!!”

  The Gale Thruster responded with an intense combustion noise.

  Within the night’s darkness, Haruyuki became a blue shooting star and rushed upwards. The lights on the ground, the stars in the sky, they all dissolved radially, until only the figure of Dusk Taker was caught distinctly within his field of vision.

  He drew aside his right hand. He arranged his fingertips.

  Voicing the technique name was no longer necessary. The pure intention to pierce dwelled in his hand as light, trembling violently.

  “O…oooooh——!!”

  Sending out a yell, Haruyuki aimed the core of the radiated light and released the silver radiance.

  “CHE…EEAAAH——!!”

  Noumi, who had restored his posture just before that, met the attack with his right hand’s claws along with a shout.

  A shrill resonance sound and exploding shock wave roared through the world.

  The tip of the light sword was held back from five directions by the claws of nothingness and stopped. From the point of contact, intense heat and vibrations were emitted, and as they fought each other in the mutual stance of extending their right arms, their two masks were scorched.

  “Uu, oh, oh!!”

  Haruyuki gushed out all of the energy could from the booster, and tried to break through Noumi’s defense. The driving sound on his back increased endlessly. The flames that extended out so far from his back dyed the sky blue.

  —A little more. It will reach if I push back a little bit more. My sword will reach this ultimate enemy. A little further…just a little bit further…!!

  Even as he was within that accelerated sensation, he saw the energy gauge in the upper left corner of his vision rapidly decrease.

  If this gauge was depleted, Noumi wouldn’t give Haruyuki the time to charge his mind power again, and would immediately cut him apart with his claws.

  Before that could happen—pierce him!

  “O…ooh…!!”

  His overheated consciousness burned off his vision in white. However, Haruyuki mustered still more of his imagination and tried to pierce through the barrier before him.

  The silver light firmly pushed into the nothingness. His gauge was mercilessly consumed.

  Perhaps because he was concentrating too densely on high attack power, the field itself made a ripple-like effect and swayed. His sword of light pushed through the center of that little by little, little by little.

  It reached. The point of his sword finally touched the palm of Noumi himself—

  Immediately before that.

  The last pixel that lit up his energy gauge vanished.

  The combustion noise of the booster trembled, and the jet flames flickered intermittently.

  Dusk Taker gave an insane smile beneath his visor.

  At that moment—

  ‘……Come now, Karasu[45]-san. Just a little more.’

  He heard someone’s voice, and a white hand was placed on Haruyuki’s right arm.

  ‘……Come on, keep at it. It’s just a bit further.’

  A different voice resounded, and someone pushed Haruyuki’s shoulder.

  “U…a…aaaaa——!!”

  Gathering all the power he had left into a single point in his right hand, Haruyuki roared. Although it was only for an instant, huge flames gushed out from the booster whose gauge sh
ould have been depleted.

  It pushed him up with the last of its propulsive power, and then his light sword finally broke through the barrier of nothingness. The five claws scattered into purple light and evaporated.

  “What…”

  As if to erase Noumi’s gasp just then.

  *SHUKIIIIIIIN!!*

  A loud sound resounded, and the sword of light that had had extended far tore apart Dusk Taker’s right arm in half, and shattered it into countless fragments.

  “…Raaah!!”

  Haruyuki’s consciousness was so exhausted that it was a wonder that he could still move. Even so, before falling down from that high altitude, his body moved half-automatically and he pierced using his entire strength the enemy’s chest with a left hand thrust.

  The light of his mind power was so weak that it almost couldn’t be seen, but his arm still pierced the darkness-colored avatar along with a heavy feedback, and came out slightly from Dusk Taker’s back.

  “Guh…guuuh…!”

  Noumi groaned as red-purple sparks scattered out from him, and he threw his head back.

  —Just one more blow!!

  If he received another heavy attack, Dusk Taker’s HP gauge would probably be depleted.

  However, at that moment, Haruyuki would also certainly die as well.

  That was because he had foolishly recharged his Gale Thruster again, and so he had no more power left to control his descent. His remaining HP was negligible, so if he crashed into the ground from this high altitude, the remainder would vanish all too quickly.

  —But, still, that’s fine.

  —If it becomes a draw between us and all the points get awarded to Cyan Pike. If I let Takumu take over my dream. My battle is pointless.

  Spurring on his consciousness that would likely blow out any moment now, Haruyuki raised his right hand high to strike.

  The final attack against the black visor of the enemy that had similarly almost fainted now—

  The moment he tried to strike,

  He heard a voice.

  “Citron Call!!”

  The voice that he had heard the most in the world, probably even longer than that of his parents. The voice that he would laugh with, play with, and sometimes fight with, but then quickly reconcile—

  As if attracted by it, Haruyuki looked at the ground.

  A pillar of beautiful emerald light rose up from the bright green colored avatar standing quietly in the schoolyard, and enveloped Dusk Taker.

  The sound of countless bells spread through the night sky.

  As if it were an angel’s blessing, it healed the twilight-colored avatar. His cracked and scorched armor regained its gloss. His lost arms regenerated.

  A momentary but far too deep despair enveloped Haruyuki.

  Behind the black spherical visor, red-purple eyes blinked, and then became strongly relit.

  “…Ku, kuha, hahaha.”

  A high-pitched laugh.

  “Hahaha! Ahahahahahaha!!”

  At some point extending out his regenerated arms extremely high, Dusk Taker shouted.

  “Look, isn’t this truly pure loyalty!? How is it…This, is power! This is how one rules others!! Friendship!? Bonds!? As if I need things like that!! Controlling by robbing!! That is the only absolute power!! Hahaha…Hahahahahahahahaha!!”

  That loud and twisted laughter radiated from him as an aura, and dispatched purple electricity through the air.

  “Now then…it’s time…to end this————!!”

  From his ten ominously sharp fingers, a wave surge of nothingness extended far out.

  Just as they tried to cut apart Haruyuki’s body—

  At that instant.

  The phenomenon occurred.

  *PAH* An intense flash.

  What was shining was the devil wings extending out from either side of Dusk Taker’s back.

  The wings cracked as if they had changed into ultra-thin glass. With a cracking sound, they crumbled apart.

  And disappeared.

  “Wha……”

  Noumi widened his eyes and gasped.

  “Wh…y…Why are my wings disappe…”

  Just before he finished speaking, the two avatars shook with a ‘GAKUN’. The flying power that had kept the two of them in the air until now was extinguished, and they began to fall while entangled with each other.

  However, Haruyuki immediately felt something trying to restore him.

  It was heat. A small heat that dwelled and gasped in both sides of his back and on the points of his shoulder blades.

  Only Silver Crow’s falling speed slowed, and his left hand that had been piercing through Dusk Taker came back out.

  The twilight avatar fell headlong towards the ground with both his arms spread out in astonishment.

  In comparison, Haruyuki’s fall became even slower, until finally he felt like he was floating and stopped.

  It wasn’t the Gale Thruster. With its gauge completely depleted, the Enhanced Armament was still silent.

  That’s right—this sensation. This longing so great he wanted to cry, and this exaltation.

  “……Ah, ah…”

  At the same time as his voice leaked out, actual tears flowed down from his eyes.

  The heat that dwelled in his shoulder blades rapidly increased in temperature. The energy swelled, and swirled in search of somewhere to go. As if two bones inside him had awakened the memories of the organ they were equipped with.

  Guided by something, Haruyuki put up his hands and crossed them in front of his body.

  He clenched his fists. He put his strength into them.

  “……Welcome back. Thank you.”

  Giving that short whisper, he suddenly opened up his arms left and right.

  *SHARAAAAN!!*

  A noise more beautiful than any other sound was produced, and spread through the night sky.

  Even without directly seeing it, Haruyuki knew. That ten metal fins that all reflected the moonlight and shone silver were unfolding out from his back and from either side of his booster.

  Silver wings. The soaring power that served as the proof of Silver Crow’s existence.

  He had finally returned. To his true form. To Accel World’s only flight-type duel avatar that had had been born from the scars in Haruyuki’s heart.

  The instant that firm belief and feeling filled up his chest to the brim, another phenomenon occurred.

  The gauge of the Gale Thruster, which had fused with his wings, shined as if they were linked together and automatically refilled itself.

  ‘Fly’, is what it felt like it was telling him.

  Haruyuki nodded, drew back his right hand to his chest, and turned his body downwards.

  Dusk Taker’s silhouette, which was still in the midst of falling, looked small over the center of the white field which spread out endlessly.

  Although he had lost his wings, his HP gauge itself should have recovered due to the power of «Citron Call». His HP might be equivalent to the damage he would take from falling from such a high altitude.

  —But, I’ll finish it before that.

  Haruyuki spread out his silver wings as far as possible.

  The fins began to vibrate minutely. A nostalgic propulsive power wrapped around his body.

  At the same time, the Gale Thruster also lit up. It blue flames were reflected by the silver wings, shining beautifully.

  After firmly holding his breath back along with the energy that was increasing at terrifying rate, Haruyuki shouted.

  “Go…ooooooo——!!”

  A silver aura spread out from his wings. Blue exhaust flames gushed far out.

  *DOH!!* Shooting through the wall of air in an instant, Haruyuki flew.

  It was probably a movement speed that no other avatar had attained since the beginning of Accel World. Adding the virtual gravity to the propulsive power of his wings and booster, Haruyuki rushed downwards as a streak of lightning.

  Even with Haruyuki’s accelerated s
enses, it all happened in an instant.

  Having changed into an arrow of light with his right hand, clad in a sword of mind power, at the tip, Silver Crow approached the falling Dusk Taker, touched him—and pierced through him.

  *PAH* The twilight-colored avatar disintegrated out in a circle fashion from the center of his body.

  Running through the mixture point without even touching any of those polygons, Haruyuki controlled his posture with his wings and turned his booster towards below him.

  The propulsive power offset the momentum of his fall, decelerated it, and finally stopped him.

  Immediately after, the bottoms of his feet touched the ground.

  As Haruyuki then knelt down as if collapsing, a slightly late and heavy falling sound reached his ears.

  He resisted the feeling of fatigue that was suddenly assaulting him, and raised his head.

  There was the Umesato Middle School schoolyard, near the place where he had taken off from. A black lump was rolling on the ground a little ways away from him.

  It was Dusk Taker. However, all that was left of him was just his head, his chest, and the short tentacles that were regenerating from his left shoulder. Behind his visor, his eyes were very weak and were flickering irregularly. Even if he had some HP gauge left, it had to be less than 10%.

  Haruyuki got up in order to drag along his body.

  After walking one, two steps, he heard a voice.

  “……Wh, y…Why…did my wings, disappear…”

  Noumi groaned that out as if that were more enormous shock than having his body blown away.

  The one that answered him wasn’t Haruyuki.

  “It’s because…my power isn’t «healing».”

  Turning his face with a start, he saw Chiyuri—Lime Bell standing there. She was covering her flank that had a hole dug in it with her severed right arm.

  And Cyan Pile was also standing next to her, still missing both his arms. Furthermore, Black Lotus and Black Vise could also be seen, still facing off against each other. They were standing on guard without any sign of inattention, but it seemed that they had both stopped their mind power attacks.

  “Wh…at?”