Accel World: Crimson Storm Princess

by Reki Kawahara

  When Haruyuki hit the wall behind, he shut his eyes to wait for the pain to pass, then lifted his head to check the situation.

  He was sitting in the wide bathtub.

  A red haired girl was riding his flabby stomach as cushion. Her slender body was held by both of his arms.

  And also, both of them were completely naked.

  “U, uwaaaaa!?”

  Haruyuki shouted that, then,

  “Ugyaaa - !!”

  The girl’s scream overwrote his shout. She stumbled around, then from her foot’s bounce on Haruyuki’s stomach, she somehow managed to escape out of the bathtub. She picked up the bath towel on the floor, fled to the change area in high speed, then showed just her face.

  “...I will beat you to death.”

  When he heard her footsteps head towards the living room, Haruyuki thought in a daze.

  ‘- I saw and touched.’

  ‘- Not that. That girl was probably an assassin from the one of the six kings. With that word and action, she will probably be back later to challenge him to a duel.’

  Then, should he remove the Neuro Linker to prevent that? However, she is probably an enemy they will meet again, so it might be better to obtain information early. Since he is just level 4, losing once won’t cost him too many points, also - since the opponent is just a child, he might not lose that easily.

  With about 80% of his thinking processes in confusion, the remaining 20% reached that conclusion, then the name that girl said earlier pop up in his brain.

  «Scarlet Rain». He probably hasn’t heard of it. For the color circle, it’s probably «Long range red» type, with that, he thought she might be a Burst Linker belonging to the red legion. He would find that out when they duel, but he wanted a bit more information.

  It will take some time for the girl to put on her Neuro Linker, start the OS, and finish the quantum connection check. While he sat in the bathtub, he issued a voice command.

  “Command. Voice Call. Number 01.”

  At that moment, [Voice call for registered address number 01. Is that okay?], that holo dialogue appeared in front of his eyes. He instantly answered ‘Yes’.

  With two rings, the opponent answered.

  “It’s me. What’s wrong, Haruyuki-kun, calling at this time.”

  With that smooth voice, a background sound like musical accompaniment of splashing water was heard.

  ‘Ah, is senpai also taking a bath...’ While thinking that and other things, Haruyuki talked to the person he called - one of the strongest Burst Linkers, Black King «Black Lotus», also known as Kuroyukihime.

  “Sorry for calling this late. I want you to tell me about something...”

  “Oh, what is it?”

  “Well, senpai, do you know of a Burst Linker called «Scarlet Rain»?”

  The answer to his question, was a bit long silence.

  “...A, ah, what’s wrong?”

  “...Nothing, sorry. You are seriously asking that right?”

  “Seriously... of course. I won’t make a prank call at this time.”

  “I see. Hmm, this should be my omission. I used the common calling only so haven’t told you their names. However, «Silver Crow», you are also a bit short on study.”

  “Eh...? What, does that mean...”

  Haruyuki’s tilted head heard running footsteps in the hall, on top of that was Kuroyukihime’s cool voice.

  “- «Scarlet Rain». That person is also called «Immobile Fortress» and «Bloody Storm»... is the second generation Red King.”

  ...Huh?

  In a daze, with both eyes and mouth wide open, Haruyuki’s thoughts stopped.

  Right after, the bathroom door was pulled open hard, and the red haired girl again appeared.

  She must be really furious, since she only wore underwear on top and bottom. However she did not seem to be hiding anymore, her pure white body was held high, and arms crossed in front of her chest.

  He moved his view on reaction, and noticed the only other thing she had on other than underwear, then stared at it. Around her slender neck, a glossy pure red shone.

  The girl showing a violent smile, shouted with a cute yet forceful voice.

  “Burst Link!!”

  Viiiii!!

  - That familiar, yet always hair-raising sound reverberated in his world.

  Instantly, his five senses were cut, in the darkness «HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!!» words burned. Right after, his view returned.

  However, there was no longer his home bathroom with ivory makeup panels. Unbelievable that it was high up in a apartment floor, it was a huge open space.

  Haruyuki had already accelerated his thought with the Neuro Linker, and fully dived into the virtual world created by the duel fighting game application «Brain Burst». The surrounding world, was made up of images from Social Camera Net all over Japan, a virtual «Duel Field».

  However, normal residences including Haruyuki’s home did not have a social camera, so this was supplemented with guess work - that is the software built it up with the structure. This time, the apartment was returned to while it was being built. The concrete littered floor had steel pillars here and there.

  In this bleak space, Haruyuki and the girl faced each other in their real form for about half of a second.

  However soon, both their body color and shape started changing. Towards their other self, the combat use «Duel Avatar».

  Haruyuki’s round limbs were covered with silver from the tips and at the same time twisted smaller and smaller. What appeared was silver armor covered robotic hands. The change reached his body, and his stomach shrunk by more than half in one go. When the slender metallic body was finished, the white light covered his head, and became a slippery round mirror helmet.

  While he was transforming to his duel avatar «Silver Crow», Haruyuki continued to stare at the girl a few meters in front of him.

  The doll like delicate arms and legs were covered by a deep red shine. As the light circle moved up, the places it passed were transformed to a ruby colored armor. The flat stomach and chest were also changed to be covered by dark grey and ruby mixed half transparent armor, and with a last flash, an android like head appeared.

  A mask that only had bead like eyes. Front hair shape metal extended from both sides of the head, like pigtail shaped antenna.

  The twin pigtails wiggled, and a deep red light shone from both eyes.

  ‘- This is the «Red King»?’

  Haruyuki stood still and looked at the Duel Avatar a few meters in front of him.

  Small. Height only around 130cm. For weapon-like items, only a toy-like handgun on the right waist.

  “...E, err.”

  He unintentionally opened his mouth, and under the mirror helmet, a metallic effect voice leaked out.

  “Are you really...”

  ‘Accelerated world’s only seven level 9 Burst Linker, highest commander of huge legion, one of the «Pure Color Six Kings»?’

  He wanted to ask that, at that moment.

  Suddenly, the space behind the cute girl avatar became twisted.

  Four brusque blocks shining pure red appeared from the void, and warped around the girl’s arms and legs. Then thick armor surrounded her from left and right, fully covering the elegant body.

  “What the...”

  Haruyuki looked with a daze at the red avatar that became several times bigger than him in one go.

  However, the addition of armaments did not stop there.

  With low Gon Gon sounds reverberating, huge hexagon pillars, cylinders, and plates kept appearing behind and connecting. The height soon reached for the ceiling, compared to the panicky retreating Silver Crow, its height was 2 meters more, 3 meters more...

  A few seconds later.

  When silence finally returned, what stood in front of Haruyuki’s eyes, was a tank, or might be a thing better called a fortress.

  Like an extension of its original arms, two huge cannons were slowly lifted up, and white st
eam came from various heat release valves.

  In the center of the armor container, two shining red eyes peeked out just a bit.

  “...No way...”

  At the same time as Haruyuki’s whisper, in front of him in burning font, «FIGHT», shone, then blew apart.

  ‘I should run away first!!’

  That was the first thing Haruyuki thought of, he wanted to turn around and quickly dash away behind, but stopped when he thought that would be dangerous.

  The enemy’s type is «Long range red». This huge fortress like duel avatar, no matter how you look at it, is a demon of long distance attacks. In addition to the main cannons on the left and right side, the containers on both shoulders were probably missile pods, and the short tubes in front should be some kind of machine gun. Against this type of opponent, trying to distance himself would be foolish.

  With that determination, he gathered courage to stand still, then the fortress avatar «Scarlet Rain»’s red eyes focused on him.

  “...Hmm, not running away. You have guts.”

  The metallic yet cute voice, was released by the Red King.

  “I, I am so scared that my legs won’t move.”

  Haruyuki replied with a pitiful sound, then he desperately looked at the Red King’s different parts.

  Normally in games, the strategy against this kind of huge armored boss enemy, is to attack the thin area weak point in a blind spot. Attacking from the front is out of question, left and right is probably covered by those movable main cannons. That leaves right behind. If he could dash at full speed around to the back side.

  Unknown if she knew of Haruyuki’s thinking or not, Scarlet Rain laughed.

  “You said a cute thing♪ But, you didn’t forget, right?”

  “Eh? About... what?”

  “That I will...”

  Guin! With that sound the right main cannon moved, pointing right at Haruyuki.

  “- beat you to death, you hentai[1]!!”

  “That was beyond my controlll!!”

  While shouting back a reply, Haruyuki kicked the ground hard. He moved towards the enemy’s left side at lightning speed, then made a sharp turn for the back side.

  Scarlet Rain who turned while chasing Haruyuki, was surprisingly quick for such a huge size, but even so, Silver Crow - is a very specialized speed type duel avatar, so she could not catch up to his dash.

  “And you were the one who came into the bathroommm!!”

  With another shout while turning, Haruyuki finally saw the enemy’s back and rushed forward.

  As he had predicted, the back side had large heat releasing fins and vernier like things lined up, but he did not see any armaments. The armor looked thinnest at the connection between the missile pod and fin, his right fist aimed for that - .

  ‘...Vernier?’

  At the same time he thought of that, four black exhaust holes let out fierce jets of flame.

  “Uwaa hot -!!”

  He had a strong feeling of heat when he was covered by the flames, so he screamed. In his view’s upper left, his own HP gauge dropped.

  However, Haruyuki did not stop moving forward.

  The damage to him, was not an amount to be feared. The metal color Silver Crow has heat attack resistance.

  “Fire won’t work against this Silver Crow!!”

  ‘- It’s decided.’

  While thinking that, Haruyuki put all his strength behind his punch against the back armor in front of him. However.

  “It’s not that easy, brat!!”

  Fuhahaha, with a roar that he could almost see the words, at the same time the containers on Scarlet Rain’s shoulders opened their covers.

  From those, numerous small missiles flew out, Haruyuki opened his eyes wide on seeing that.

  ‘Wait... here, the building... inside...’

  Right after, the concrete ceiling, floor, and steel pillars were all covered by red rose like explosions.

  Haruyuki desperately ducked when a missile headed straight for him, it hit the concrete ceiling above his head, breaking it up mesh like, and it started falling.

  “No way...”

  He dangerously dodged a huge slap of concrete that fell down, it hit near his feet and the floor abruptly sank.

  “No way - !!”

  With that shout, Haruyuki dashed fiercely. This was no longer the time to worry about keeping distance with the enemy or not. This was the 23rd floor above ground. If he was caught in the collapse, his HP would be gone in an instant.

  The originally Haruyuki’s home apartment was now a building with only floor and pillars, so tens of meters ahead he could see the outside space. He jumped around the broken floors and used his fist and head to break falling concrete fragments, while checking the special attack gauge below his HP gauge.

  The damage that he dealt and received did not amount to much, but maybe due to the stage destruction points, his gauge was at about 20% with a green shine. With this -

  He could fly!!

  Haruyuki took a deep breath and exerted force on his shoulders.

  On his back, folded metal fins started to make a crisp sound.

  With the fins’ high frequency vibration, Haruyuki’s dash speed also increased.

  “Fuooooo - !!”

  With that shout, Haruyuki aimed for the grey space coming up in front of him and dived head first.

  Haruyuki’s home was very high up in the building. That meant, the moment he jumped out from the building, he could see all of the streets from Kouenji to Shinjuku.

  The superb panoramic view - was there, but all the buildings were similar to his apartment, becoming stark segments with steel pillars. This is probably the «Weathered» stage. Its properties are: easy to destroy, dusty, and occasional gust blowing...

  While thinking of many things, Haruyuki controlled his metallic wings' speed and hovered in the air.

  He checked his special attack gauge, there’s still a little left. With that, he should be able to fly continuously for three minutes.

  He turned around - .

  That was about the same time as the huge high-rise building split almost in half and collapsed.

  “Ah, ah... My home...”

  He whispered unconsciously. Of course that was just polygon data created by the system, but this was the first time his home was destroyed in a «Duel».

  “That was reckless.”

  While shaking his helmet head, Haruyuki looked down at the rubble mountain that his apartment had become. The Red King seemed to be buried in her own destruction, and could not be seen. At that rate, probably even a fortress avatar won’t escape unscratched.

  ‘What was she thinking’, he shook his head and started to descend, right after.

  Haruyuki noticed something and became horrified.

  Scarlet Rain’s HP gauge - did not decrease. To be exact around 3% was lost, but that could not be called damage.

  And then, her special attack gauge, was flashing at 100%.

  It would be like that. With the destruction of that huge environmental object, a huge bonus must have been added. That meant, her reckless missile fire, was not to prevent Haruyuki from attacking behind her, nor was she trying to trap him in the destruction...

  Suddenly.

  From under the rubble, muscle like red light appeared from cracks. At the same time, a sharp shout.

  “- «Heat Blast Saturation»!!”

  With a sharp squeal and explosion sound, a crimson flame extended from the wreck of the apartment, Haruyuki who saw that screamed.

  “Hiaaaa!!”

  He moved his right wing as fast as he could, and tried to avoid with a spin dive. However.

  The flame was way too huge. He was unable to completely avoid the flame with a diameter about the same as his height, and the wavering hot column touched Silver Crow’s left hand, and below his elbow came a burning sound.

  His HP gauge lost one fifth, at the same time a non-virtual hot feeling attacked him, but Haruyuki almost did not no
tice it.

  Because, the heat ray that went by him head east of the stage, hit Shinjuku city far away, and blew up everything above 300 meters in that area.

  “No way...”

  The not sure how many time in this battle, shocked voice leaked from Haruyuki.

  While his mouth flapped under the silver face plate, he moved his view to look at his home’s wreckage.

  At that moment, from the huge hole in the rubble, the Red King’s majesty appeared.

  The full body beautiful ruby armor, didn’t seem to have a single scratch. The back and lower verniers glowed red from exhaust, and white steam came from the slits on the left cannon.

  “...Ooh, he’s flying♪”

  From between the front armor, the Red King’s two round eyes looked up at Silver Crow and said in a sing song voice.

  “I wanted to try it once, like anti-air cannon fire? In SF movies and others, when they let it all out seems to be very fun.”

  Clink.

  With that clear metallic sound, the missile containers on both shoulders all opened, the right main cannon was lifted up, and the four machine guns in the front changed angle.

  While trembling, a certain anime movie scene played in Haruyuki’s brain. A small robotic weapon, trying to infiltrate an enemy fortress filled with anti-air weapons - however, he was shot down like a small bug, and he shouted his lover’s name before exploding.

  ‘Ah, then it would be Kuroyukihime for me. But that’s just a nickname. Even though, it’s embarrassing to say her real name.’

  While repeating escapist thinking, the enemy’s main cannon started charging with a rumbling sound. From the containers, around 100 small missiles appeared, their seeker head lenses shining.

  Compared to the again full special attack gauge from destroying a city, Haruyuki’s own gauge only had less than 5% left. He only had tens of seconds of full strength flight probably. It was not his habit, but he might have to bet on a simple banzai attack in this situation.

  “...I have to say this, huge war ship is supposed to be shot down by a single robot, it was decided in the past!”

  With a loser like retort, Haruyuki took a dashing form in the air.

  “As if a robot piloted by a hentai can be that active, idiot!”

  The Red King shouted those very nasty words, then continued with a loud shout.