Accel World: Crimson Storm Princess

by Reki Kawahara

  His shout was desperate, but the reply to that was more anguish. While shaken by direct hits, moaning sounds leaked from cracks in Cyan Pile’s mask.

  Mixed in the numerous range attack sounds, the Yellow King’s detestable voice reached them.

  “Unsightly... Burn that wooden puppet up.”

  Many firing sounds responded to that, however Takumu did not fall.

  Probably, the red type Burst Linkers in the enemy group, were people with not too high levels. Against those, Cyan Pile is not just level 4, but a blue type, furthermore with stamina as the main focus. That meant, he can take that all that concentrated fire without falling and continue to resist. But that also means the painful torment Takumu was experiencing would last longer.

  Haruyuki could no longer say anything. Takumu was determined to protect the three of them until the Yellow King’s special attack, «Silly Go Round»’s effect time ends.

  Maybe she also realized that, Niko who is next to Haruyuki said shortly.

  “...I take back what I said about you using your brain only, Cyan Pile. Just 30 seconds more.”

  “Under... stood, I...”

  ‘Gasuu’.

  That unpleasant sound echoed at close range, and Takumu’s sound scrapped off.

  Haruyuki saw three shining sharp pieces of metal slightly sticking out of the thick chest covering him, and looked at them while dumbfounded.

  Some unknown time ago, long range attacks from the surrounding area has stopped. As the Go Round’s cheerful strange BGM flowed, Cyan Pile’s huge body was lifted up not by his own movement.

  Standing right behind him, was a similar sized blue green duel avatar. With a rough form that made you think of heavy civil engineering equipment, a remarkably huge right arm was lifted up. The end of that arm became three atrocious claws, and those were buried deeply in Cyan Pile’s chest from behind.

  That was one person in the waiting close combat type, he must have jumped out in frustration. While the goggle on his head that is like a previous era CRT monitor shone, the avatar let out a loud sound.

  “I heard you were pretty good in the young «Blue». You are just proud of being a hard wall, Cyan Pile.”

  Lifting the skewered Takumu up, the heavy equipment type avatar lowly sneered.

  “Heehe, before you die, remember this. The one who defeated you is, Sakkusu...”

  “Your stupid name... I have no interest in it.”

  Takumu who murmured that with raspy sound, suddenly lifted up his right arm, and stuck the pile driver’s firing hole at the center of his own chest.

  “«Lightning Cyan Spike»!!”

  With a weak yet firm shout, blue white flash is sent from the back end of the hole.

  At the same time, the lightning that was shot out, passed from Cyan Pile’s chest, to the heavy equipment type avatar’s right arm, and then extended in a line to the square head and shot through. With ‘crackle’ sounds, Sakkusu something’s right arm and goggle was blown apart, both of them floated in the air for an instant, then fell with an explosion.

  With the Go Round illusion in effect, even if the enemy close in there was no way to aim accurately. However, that is a different story if the enemy’s arm is holding you up. Following that arm in a line, the enemy’s body is always there.

  “Ta... Taku!!”

  Haruyuki shouted.

  ‘Incredible, after all you are incredible. You are far stronger and smarter than me - a best friend to be proud of.’

  That feeling rose in his chest, but he did not have a chance to put them into words.

  “U... gyaaaaaa!!”

  To the screaming enemy avatar who fell to the ground while holding his face with left hand, Takumu used his last strength to hold him still.

  From under the mask that glanced at Haruyuki, a fading sound leaked out.

  “After... I will leave it to you, Haru.”

  Then both of his arms firmly held down the enemy - .

  “«Splash Stinger»!!”

  Between the two that is close together, machine gun like continuous fire sounds and flashes continued to appear.

  The enemy’s jerking movements stopped, and many cracks of light ran on both avatars.

  An instant after, two different blue pillars towered up from the crater bottom. As polygon fragments dispersed from the explosion, Takumu and the enemy’s shapes were no longer there.

  At almost the same time, the Go Round illusion attack ended, and the world returned to the original state.

  A moment of silence filled the crater that was south Ikebukuro park.

  The long ranged attacks from the surrounding have already stopped, and only distant sounds of thunder and wind echoed.

  For duel avatars' long range attacks, beam types overheat, and actual ammo will run out, so continuous firing forever was not possible. However even taking that into consideration, this silence is strange. They were probably taken in as well. By Cyan Pile and the other person’s over dreadful display of their attacks on each other.

  ‘This is our chance to escape’, Haruyuki thought. It’s the time that Takumu bought with his life. However, somehow his feet could not move. While he was on one knee, Haruyuki’s small avatar shook.

  A feeling that he could not explain himself, roared in his chest.

  The feeling of helplessness as he could only be protected by his best friend. Anger at the Yellow King for setting his despicable trap and playing with others' hearts. And above all else - the feeling toward the person he held in his right arm, the deep black avatar that drooped without any strength as if power was cut - .

  “...Senpai... senpai.”

  From the bottom of Haruyuki’s throat, a squeaky sound was wrung out.

  “Kuroyukihime senpai... why... why are you not standing up...”

  “It’s useless, Silver Crow.”

  It was Niko who murmured that.

  With a strong ‘Crunch’ footstep echo, the Red King stood her delicate body up straight.

  “«Zero File»... Right now, the power signal from that girl’s soul that is sent to the avatar is zero. A Burst Linker with no fighting spirit cannot move a duel avatar. The reason is that a duel avatar’s source of power is the heat from its owner’s heart. If you don’t even have the strength to face your wounds, you cannot even stand up. That is the «Brain Burst» game. That girl, too, understood even if she does not want to. But it’s a problem that you cannot do anything about even if you understand it.”

  After saying that in a low voice, Niko took a quick glance at Haruyuki.

  “...Sorry, even though Cyan Pile sacrificed himself to buy time for us... I am not running away. I do not have the discipline to just quietly escape here. You are fine, just take that girl and retreat from here.”

  Haruyuki thought he saw that the crimson girl avatar starting to burst into flames.

  No, it was not an illusion. The area around her foot that took a step forward, he actually saw slight flames flare up.

  ‘It’s reckless. The enemy formation is almost totally unscratched. There would be no way to win.’

  While he thought that escaping is a sensible choice, Haruyuki did not move. If he left Niko here and ran away, then to himself, and also to Kuroyukihime, he realized that he would definitely lose something, so he just crouched there and replied in a low voice.

  “I am not running away... I don’t want to run away and leave a comrade behind!”

  “Comrade... - A hardcore fool. Then, do as you like.”

  After a short break of speechlessness, Niko said that while dumbfounded, then took another step forward.

  Extending her right hand straight out, she pointed her finger at the Yellow King standing on the crater’s west edge, then the Red King shouted.

  “Yellow Radio! Before your cool appearance, your sneaky filled special attack gauge should now be empty! This time is my turn to pay you back... don’t forget, if you are defeated by me, you will at that time be forever retired!!”

  As i
f being pushed back by the pressure, the Yellow King’s clown type avatar backed off half a step.

  On the other hand, Niko took another step forward, and extended both arms wide.

  “Come... Enhanced Armament - !!”

  With a ‘Gou’ sound, flames flared up, and the avatar covered in that lightly floated up.

  From the surrounding space, armament made up of flames appeared one after another, and containers covered the girl from all sides. Missile pods on both shoulders, thick armor skirt, thruster on the back - also in place of both arms, fearsome long and large main cannons.

  Then Red King Scarlet Rain who became the shape of her other name «Immobile Fortress», landed on the center of the crater with a heavy tremor, and put out white steam all over her body.

  From the 30 avatars surrounding them, Haruyuki felt that they momentarily wavered. Since the Yellow Legion’s territory is on the east side of Tokyo, they did not have many chances to be in contact with the Red Legion controlling the west side in Nerima and Nakano. Not having a chance to battle Niko directly is a matter of course, and there should not even be many that had seen her fight from the gallery. Looking at Scarlet Rain’s true shape, the first thing that happened was to be scared out of their wits from the huge size that could not be a duel avatar. The same as Haruyuki the other day.

  As Haruyuki swallowed his saliva, in his ears came Niko’s low voice with strong effect added.

  “Hey, Silver Crow. Sorry to ask, but take care of just the close combat opponents that stick to my behind.”

  “Un... understood. But... senpai is...”

  “They won’t lay a hand on that girl, before they defeat me, that is. If I am taken down, then it does not matter, just fly away together with Lotus.”

  “...”

  «Taken down» - in this situation, it would mean that Niko’s Brain Burst would be forcefully uninstalled.

  Before Haruyuki could reply with something, the Yellow King looking down from high above shouted with his usual poisonous voice.

  “There is no need to fear! That thing is just a stationary turret, if you close in it’s just a lump of steel!”

  Then he held up his right hand.

  “Close combat team, it is your turn! Long range team, support them! - Go!!”

  With yellow light reflecting, at the same time as that arm going down - .

  With ‘Uoooo’ battle roar echoing, from the crater’s edge around 15 duel avatars all started charging in.

  As if in response to that cry, the missile containers on both of Niko’s shoulders opened with a crisp metallic sound. The few tens of seeker heads exposed shone red, and right after, they were fired with white smoke trailing them.

  The missile groups that were fired straight up, did a half circle curve and fell down aiming for the enemy duel avatars on the ground. Some dashed while pulling missiles, others took defensive stances, and the charge slackened.

  Two of the standing ones, were instantly aimed at by the main cannons from both arms.

  With ‘Kuooon’ high pitch resonance sounds, the released ruby heat rays swallowed the unfortunate two duel avatars. Instantly, ball shaped energy lumps that grew created tremendous explosions here and there.

  They next became tall fire pillars with the same color as their avatar's armor. Their HP gauges were blown apart and disappeared.

  ‘- In one hit!’

  Haruyuki was terrified. At the same time, ‘If it is like this then maybe’, he thought.

  However, immediately from the outside edge, long range attack avatars who had finished recharging began firing. There would be no way that they could miss Scarlet Rain’s avatar that’s so huge that it cannot move, so they were sucked by the crimson fortress.

  Her whole body was covered by flowers of explosions, but the Red King did not seem to tremor. In response, she aimed her four machine guns towards the outside and showered them.

  Against long range attacks, they can do nothing but withstand them right now. Haruyuki grounded his inner molars strongly, and placed Kuroyukihime’s avatar there.

  According to Niko, when you lost to the wound in your heart, then the Burst Linker will no longer move.

  Haruyuki himself also experienced that.

  Three months ago, when he knew of the existence of «Accelerate» for just a bit, to protect Kuroyukihime, he fought his best friend Takumu - Cyan Pile. Then he was beaten up to smithereens, and while overwhelmed by feelings of being small and powerless, he could no longer stand up beside the unconscious Kuroyukihime’s avatar.

  If at that time, Kuroyukihime’s voice - illusion sound or they actually communicated - did not reach him, then Haruyuki probably could not fight any longer. Then he would not have awaken Silver Crow’s hidden potential «Flight Ability» and would probably have lost everything.

  That’s why right now, seeing Kuroyukihime being unable to move, Haruyuki felt neither disappointment nor anger.

  But he was sad.

  He did not understand the reason why, but he was very sad.

  Haruyuki blinked his eyes hard, removed his hand from the deep black avatar and stood up, then turned around and ran straight forward.

  What he was aiming for, was the shape of a close combat avatar closing in behind Niko. His color was olive green, with oversized long and fat arms becoming U-shaped metal at the tip.

  The opponent saw Haruyuki coming in from the front of his path, and yelled in a deep voice.

  “Out of the way, small fry!”

  Then he aimed the left U-shaped hand at Haruyuki, and continued with a shout.

  “«Magnetron Weeeeeb»!”

  At the same time as the skill name was being shouted, purple lightning was sent out, and it caught Haruyuki. However it did not do damage, in exchange it pulled Silver Crow’s small avatar with tremendous power, and stuck him to the U-shape with a clank.

  “Hihiii, metal color is easy to suck in!”

  As the olive colored guy shouted, he used his right hand to excessively beat Haruyuki. While Haruyuki used both arms to guard against that, he thought calmly.

  From the name, this is the enemy’s special attack using magnetic attraction. Then it should have a time limit. Furthermore, since it is a skill that can completely hold an opponent, then at most 10 seconds.

  Haruyuki suddenly extended both hands, and covered the opponent’s goggle shaped eyes. Then he expanded his wings, and left the ground all at once.

  “Hey, you, let go of your hands.”

  With the screaming opponent, while they were stuck together like a magnet, Haruyuki went up some tens of meters high into the air.

  Right after, the purple waves generating the magnetism disappeared, and the opponent shoved Haruyuki away with his freed left hand.

  “Just covering my eyes, doing that won’t have any damage on... hey whattt!?”

  Haruyuki ignored the screaming opponent that found out he was left in the sky with nothing to hold onto, and started a full speed descent. He passed the magnetic avatar in the air, and extended his right foot, moving forward with a sharp cone.

  “...Uoo!”

  At the same time as he psyched up, he pierced through the back of the drill equipped avatar that was about to jump onto Niko. To the enemy who was nailed to the ground with a loud impact, Haruyuki hit using his left hand the area at the back of the neck.

  “Aaa... Gaaa... Aaa!”

  After breaking two spinal bones, Haruyuki jumped back from the screaming enemy, and a little in front of him the magnetic avatar fell down from the air. With full body landing shock, this one too could no longer move.

  As Haruyuki was jumping out to finish that guy off, his right cheek was suddenly forcefully hit.

  He was blown away in a flashy way, and tumbled around. Sharp pain from his broken inner teeth made him see sparks in front of his eyes.

  Haruyuki forcefully ignored that and jumped up, seeing the 3rd enemy closing in. A four corner body as if carved from stone, and covered by a light blue martial art
s robe. The mask reminiscent of a Moai[9] statue was humorous, but he knew the power of those rock like fists from one hit. A very close contact type with no weapon, but these orthodox types are very fearsome.

  Maybe a veteran, the martial artist not only silently attacked, he slid up into range and suddenly released a right front kick.

  Silver Crow is fortunate to have a very thin body, he somehow managed to avoid a direct hit, and the left flank that was scratched gave out sparks and his HP bar was cut. He used a left punch for counter attack, but that was stopped by a huge wooden like right arm.

  ‘- When you get into a situation of close combat with a blunt type that is disadvantagous to metal color...’

  Suddenly, an old lecture from Kuroyukihime was awakened in his brain.

  ‘- Don’t guard or counter attack in panic, try to flow with the enemy’s attack and use its power. It is possible with your reaction speed. Listen, no matter how powerful a punch is, it’s slow compared to a bullet, don’t forget.’

  “Zeryaa!!”

  The martial artist avatar released a right front straight punch with a large psyche.

  The fist came flying in with a blue aura, as Haruyuki pushed down his fear and watched. ‘While falling back behind, left hand under the enemy fist, and right feet against the enemy’s stomach.’

  “...Raaa!!”

  At the same time as his shout, he flapped the wings on his back for just an instant with all his strength. With the lift generated, Haruyuki kicked his right foot up, and then with his own punching power as a catapult, the brusque martial artist danced up into the sky.

  “Niko, above!”

  Hearing Haruyuki’s yell or not, Scarlet Rain’s shoulder missiles fired, and all of them hit the martial artist in the sky. Swallowed by many red black explosions, that avatar fell to the ground trailing smoke, and right after, a light blue pillar of light went up and disappeared.

  “...Hmm, not bad for so being so delicately built, Silver Crow.”

  “Why thank you!”

  After shouting a reply to Niko’s bad mouthing, even thought it distract him from countering the next enemy, from the side of his eyes, Haruyuki looked at the deep black avatar laying a bit away.