Accel World Vol 3 Chapter 8 (1/2)

Chapter 8

[HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER!!]

After the familiar sounds of acceleration, those words were displayed in his view, which Haruyuki gazed at while stunned.

«Duel»!? Why now!?

Up till now, Noumi had used some unknown method to block being registered on the matching list, and had kept on avoiding duels. So then, why at this time, and furthermore initiated a challenge himself?

Haruyuki whose thoughts were confused by all the happenings, could not immediately fathom Noumi’s intentions. With his eyes opened wide, he could only look on as the world morphed into the «Duel stage» with dry seismic sounds.

The dense grove of trees lost all their fresh leaves at once, and morphed into deep black withered woods. The sky became darker and darker, sinking into the indigo of dusk.

The school building that stood on three sides, slowly decayed into skeletal ruins. From the grey colored ground, with ‘Zubo zubo’ sounds, numerous poles and boards grew out. No, not poles —— grave markers. Mossy crosses and tombstones continued all the way to the edge of his view.

At the same time as the stage creation was completed, on his view’s upper left and right side, two HP gauges extended. Under the left side bar, Haruyuki’s duel avatar, «Silver Crow»’s name floated up. And then the right side ——.

«Dusk Taker». Level 5.

He had never seen or heard of that name before. However, the level was unexpectedly high.

Probably, the person called Noumi, had always repeated the same thing. Set a trap for other Burst Linkers, obtain their weakness, then threaten them to «pay up» Burst Points. With that, he could level up without having to fight.

In front of Haruyuki who was grinding his teeth, finally the large [FIGHT!!] words burned up, and blew apart.

After seeing that, Haruyuki finally realized that he had been kneeling on the ground as he had before the acceleration. And then, someone was also stepping on his back.

“...!!”

He hurriedly bounced up, and took a large jump to distance himself. As he held his hands up and stared, in front was ——.

A strange looking avatar stood there.

The silhouette was normal human shape. The size was small, not much different from Silver Crow. The face was also similar. The whole face was a blank visor shape, with only reddish purple eyes sharply floating inside. The body and legs were slender like poles.

But, just the two arms, could only be called weird.

The right one was clearly machine type, with gears and shafts made up the thick arm with side armor, equipped with a brutal edge tool like a bolt clipper.

However, the left side, no matter how you look at it, was a living thing type. With fine rings on the outside, from a creature like arm, at the wrist, were three split up long tentacles.

It was a shape with no sense of unity, but the whole body color was as the «Dusk» name implied, a blackish purple. For its color circle affinity, it could be close or long range, but the color saturation was very low.

After his momentary observation was over, as Haruyuki carefully stood on guard, he quietly spit out the deduction that he had finally arrived at.

“...This means, you are going to drain my points right? To be taken down without resistance, for today’s «payment», is that what you want to say?”

Noumi —— Dust Taker, staying silent for a while, continued to face Haruyuki with the dusk colored visor.

Eventually, his tentacle shaped arm jerked, and a sound with laughter was released.

“At the moment you became your duel avatar, you got more spirited, senpai. Even though in the real world you are still stepped on by me.”

Ignoring the sneer laughter, Haruyuki immediately retorted.

“You also, can you still show me all that composure? Already, I know of your real face and name, now also your avatar name and appearance. That, don’t you think it’s about the same deadly information as that previous video from in front of the shower room?”

“Is this what you mean to say? If that video is made public, in return that will cost my «Reality Intrusion», to make other Burst Linkers attack me.”

“...Do I have any reason to hesitate?”

“Fufufu, scary. Well, I will admit that senpai also holds a card. But, to accept points, eventually this kind of «duel» is necessary. In this case... something else, I think I will accept from you.”

The meaning of Noumi’s words spoken with metallic effect, Haruyuki could not immediately understand.

“A... accept?”

“That’s right. Senpai’s, important thing. Well then... since we are in a stage, how about a fight? Since this is a direct connection duel, it is a bit lonely without the gallery.”

After saying so, the blackish purple avatar held up his right hand cutter, and closed it once with a clank.

He could no longer understand Noumi’s intentions.

However if it was a fight, he was not going to be beaten up silently. Without doubt, Haruyuki also held Noumi’s «Reality» as a card, so if he made that public in the accelerated world, then Noumi won’t be able to go about at ease with point hungry Burst Linkers going after him. Noumi would also want to avoid that.

If that was the case, then the winner could only be determined by an ordinary duel. Probably, Noumi will show overwhelming power like in the previous fist fight to steal Haruyuki’s «important thing», which is his pride, in order to make him submit.

—— However.

“If you can also win easily in this world... try it, Noumi Seiji!!”

With that shout, Haruyuki held his fist, and kicked the ground all at once.

The battle field was the «Cemetery» stage. The main features are darkness, and sometimes arms of dead people grow from the ground to grab hold of dueler’s feet.

The other side was one level higher, but for the duel fighting game «Brain Burst», it was not the same as online RPG where level difference was a deciding factor in a lost.

Indeed, level 1 and level 9’s basic performance is too different to be overturned, but for 4 and 5, then the stage’s attribute and compatibility could be said to be more important. And then for this Cemetery stage, Haruyuki has confidence that he had the absolute advantage.

“U... OO!”

While madly das.h.i.+ng in a straight line, he used his metallic fists and feet to pulverize the tombstones in his path like polystyrene foam. With the object destruction bonus, his blue special skill gauge started to slowly charge up.

Noumi —— Dusk Taker, while he looked at Silver Crow who was charging in, did not seem to move at all. He lowered his waist with leisurely movement, held his right hand bolt clipper in front, and left hand tentacles behind.

“ChieEEEE!”

Similar to his kendo match, with a sharp psyche, Dusk Taker swung his left arm, when the distance between them was still more than five meters.

The three tentacles that became whip like, let out a ‘Snap!’ sound and extended straight forward.

However, Haruyuki had predicted that action. About any kind of game, had tentacles that could extend out.

He had to face the fairly fast speed of the sharp tips that shone as they came attacking, but they were still slower than bullets. He evade the one aiming for his head by t.i.tling his head, and the remaining two he chop away, then Haruyuki came close to Dusk Taker.

“s.h.i.+ee!”

The bolt clipper that was thrusted out with that short sound, he lowered his body to let it pa.s.s by.

“...Raaa!”

He stepped down hard with his left leg, and the elbow that was thrust out, scored a direct hit on the enemy’s jaw that he was aiming for. With the fierce impact sound and light effect explosion, the ground was lit up by bluish white light. The right side HP gauge decreased with a glop. That was the first hit.

To the greatly bent backwards, trying to hold his ground Noumi’s undefended chest, Haruyuki pursued with a right middle kick hit.

“Guu...”

While Noumi groaned and staggered, Haruyuki continued the pursuit, from a left hook making him float up to a right high kick. With the slender body that could not be compared to his real world body, the light Silver Crow body flashed with lightning like speed, faithfully tracing the commands from Haruyuki’s consciousness that was sent before the last one was over.

‘How about that, did you see... did you see!!’

While releasing three showy kicks in the air like wire action in a Kung-fu movie, Haruyuki shouted inside his mind.

‘—— You who kept running away from «duels» probably didn’t know, for short range melee combat, there isn’t anyone in my level range that could win against me. To obtain this kind of speed, do you know how much hards.h.i.+p I went through... getting hit with virtual bullet many times and throwing up in the toilet, you probably don’t know about that. For someone who use dirty information battle in the real world, with only that trying to reach the peak of «Brain Burst», guys like you...’

“Don’t deserve to be called a Burst Linker!!”

The right straight that went out tracing laser like path, smashed into the blackish purple helmet, craving radial cracks into it.

After being blown away, crashed into a tombstone and laying still, Dusk Taker’s health gauge was already decreased to about 30% remaining.

“...One more hit will finish this!”

After releasing those intense words, at this time Haruyuki finally put strength into his shoulder blades. At the same time as both arms were pulled to the other side, with a cutting like sharp metallic sound, large wings opened up.

The battle up till now, had completely filled his special skills gauge. If a dive kick from very high alt.i.tude scored, then Noumi’s remaining HP would easily be blown away. Since the surroundings were tombstones as far as the eye could see, there was not a single structure to hide in.

He lowered his body, before leaving the ground in one breath —— right before that.

Dusk Taker who was collapsed by a grave marker, his left arm moved without any previous motion, and three tentacles came flying like some different kind of living thing.

He managed to dodge the two that was going for his body, but one of them wrapped around his right wrist. However Haruyuki did not panic, he grabbed that and pulled, then kicked the ground as planned.

He floated at about 50cm up, and changed his two wings thrust from straight up to horizontal, going to pull Dusk Taker along. The opponent’s legs dug in to resist, but he started craving groves into the ground.

There were many enemies who tried to capture Silver Crow with whips or wires like this. However most of them were pulled into the air while they were linked, or broke up after being dragged on the ground. The thrust force that can be produced by Silver Crow’s wings, could be said to be unlimited as long as his special skill gauge is not empty. Even the demonic Burst Linker, «Chrome Disaster» that had strength beyond «Kings», he won the tug of war against it.

“U... OO!”

At the same time as Haruyuki’s psyche, white silver aura was sent out from the two wings. He would pull through the tombstones like that, breaking up Noumi’s remaining HP with his avatar, he thought so without mercy ——

At that moment.

Dusk Taker’s right hand huge cutter, closed on his own left elbow.

Without giving Haruyuki the time to be surprised, a ‘Bachin!’ unpleasant sound went out, and without any hesitation, that arm was cut apart.

With the tentacles’ pull instantly disappeared, Haruyuki was forcefully thrown back behind as he spun around. After two, three bounds on the ground, and breaking numerous tombstones, he finally stopped.

After staring at the reddish black dusk sky in a daze for a bit, he hurriedly tried to jump up. However suddenly, from the surrounding ground bluish white skeletal arms thrust out, and grabbed hold of Haruyuki’s limbs. «Ensnare», the cemetery stage’s topographic effect.

“s.h.i.+t.”

While cursing, he tried to shake them off, but the arms came up relentlessly and wrapped around him. Without any choice, he opened his wings after rolling on his back, trying to lift off straight up —— however.

Right before his body floated up, a shadow that came flying with some kind of insect like movement, stepped on Haruyuki’s right shoulder with a kick. He was again pushed back to the ground.

The one who stood there, was of course Dusk Taker. His HP gauge, after cutting his own left arm, was decreased to 20%. On the other hand, Haruyuki still had about 90% remaining, he did not think that this could be turned around, but the dusk avatar’s whole body was strangely relaxed. His upper body slowly bend, with the blank helmet closing in on Haruyuki.

‘After the Ensnare is gone, I will lift off and settle it.’

While thinking like that, Haruyuki quietly said.

“...You like stepping on someone so much.”

“Fufu... speaking of that, senpai seem to like being stepped on.”

After muttering that thinly, Noumi held up his half lacking left arm, and stared at the cut surface. Haruyuki who looked there as well, noticed that from the cut, three new tentacle tips seem to slowly poke out, and felt a bit psychologically disgusted.

“...Regrowth? Just like a lizard’s tail.”

“If it is like that, then it should be octopus or sea anemone. No, the previous owner said it was starfish.”

“Wh... what?”

Turning to face Haruyuki who was not able to grasp the meaning and inquired ——.

Noumi whispered with a sound that had more coldness in it.

“I said it right? That I will take senpai’s important thing. That is...”